Exploring the use value of air conditioners in residential peak demand response

Demand-side Management (DSM) based on the Smart Grid directing to various electrical appliances in the household will contribute to improved demand-side response and cost-effective policy. Evaluating the use value of different electrical end uses and analyzing associated characteristics of population in the household side will provide basic information for the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP). This paper takes the residential air-conditioner as an example, and applies the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to investigate its use value during summer peak load in Xi´an City, China. Four controlling scenarios are considered. The study reveals that the value is quite different among the surveyed population, and a large proportion of people are ready to accept control with a small amounts of compensation. These people have a series of characteristics such as high level of education, energy-saving, and so on.