Abstract/Summary

Whilst flexible electricity tariffs, such as Time-of-Use (ToU) and real-time, play an important role in motivating the shift of electricity demand away from the peak period and progressing towards the Net Zero, their widespread implementation for residential customers may have an adverse effect on some groups of consumers. The objective of research work within the DEePRED (Distributional Effects of dynamic Pricing for Responsive Electricity Demand) project is to evaluate the distributional impact of flexible tariffs and identify groups of consumers who might be advantaged or disadvantaged based on by their socio-demographic parameters. As the project comes to its conclusion, this paper presents key findings, appraises the impact of ToU on smart meter data and explores the application of such findings in the context of transition to Net Zero. The key findings are as follows: (i) bottom-up(clustering) impact analysis method clearly identifies the most affected household groups; (ii) there is no clear set of socio-demographic parameters that can describe these groups; (iii) grouping by household composition demonstrates that the presence of children increases the probability and intensity of energy-related activities at peak-time and hence increases the likelihood of adverse impact of ToU; and (iv) the impact on consumer groups who do not change their behaviour in response to ToU is defined by the peak to off-peak price ratio, which is confirmed by analysis of ToU impact on smart meter profiles.