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Willingness-to-Pay for Quality of Service: An Application to Efficiency Analysis of the UK Electricity Distribution Utilities

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  • William Yu
  • Tooraj Jamasb
  • Michael Pollitt

Abstract

Efficiency analysis of electricity distribution networks is often limited to technical or cost efficiency measures. However, some important non-tradable aspects of their service such as quality of service and network energy losses are often not part of the analysis. Moreover, technical or cost efficiency should not be achieved at the expense of allocative and economic efficiency. Valuation of service quality for regulatory models is particularly difficult. This paper presents an empirical approach to measure and incorporate service quality and energy losses into the analysis of technical and allocative efficiency of the utilities. We apply our method to the case of the distribution networks in the UK between 1990/91 and 2003/04 using the data envelopment analysis technique. We find that the efficiency of the utilities improved during the first and second five-year distribution price control reviews but exhibited a slight decline during the third review period. We find relatively low allocative efficiency Ð i.e. a mismatch in allocating resources among expenditures, service quality, and network energy losses. The results suggest that currently the utilities may not be correctly incentivised to achieve socially optimal trade-offs between these.

Suggested Citation

  • William Yu & Tooraj Jamasb & Michael Pollitt, 2009. "Willingness-to-Pay for Quality of Service: An Application to Efficiency Analysis of the UK Electricity Distribution Utilities," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), pages 1-48.
    • Handle: RePEc:aen:journl:2009v30-04-a01
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Caves, Douglas W & Herriges, Joseph A & Windle, Robert J, 1990. "Customer Demand for Service Reliability in the Electric Power Industry: A Synthesis of the Outage Cost Literature," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 79-119, April.
    2. Pollitt, Michael, 2005. "The role of efficiency estimates in regulatory price reviews: Ofgem's approach to benchmarking electricity networks," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 279-288, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yauheniya Varabyova & Jonas Schreyögg, 2018. "Integrating quality into the nonparametric analysis of efficiency: a simulation comparison of popular methods," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 261(1), pages 365-392, February.
    2. Jamasb, T. & Orea, L. & Pollitt, M.G., 2010. "Weather Factors and Performance of Network Utilities: A Methodology and Application to Electricity Distribution," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1042, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    3. Ajayi, Victor & Anaya, Karim & Pollitt, Michael, 2022. "Incentive regulation, productivity growth and environmental effects: the case of electricity networks in Great Britain," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    4. Anaya, Karim L. & Pollitt, Michael G., 2017. "Using stochastic frontier analysis to measure the impact of weather on the efficiency of electricity distribution businesses in developing economies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 263(3), pages 1078-1094.
    5. Jorge E. Galán & Michael G. Pollitt, 2014. "Inefficiency persistence and heterogeneity in Colombian electricity distribution utilities," Working Papers EPRG 1403, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    6. Orea, Luis & Growitsch, Christian & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2012. "Using Supervised Environmental Composites in Production and Efficiency Analyses: An Application to Norwegian Electricity Networks," EWI Working Papers 2012-18, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    7. Jamasb, Tooraj & Orea, Luis & Pollitt, Michael, 2012. "Estimating the marginal cost of quality improvements: The case of the UK electricity distribution companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1498-1506.
    8. Smith, Andrew S.J. & Ojeda Cabral, Manuel, 2022. "Is higher quality always costly? Marginal costs of quality: Theory and application to railway punctuality," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 258-273.
    9. Jimenez Mori, Raul Alberto, 2017. "Are Blackout Days Free of Charge?: Valuation of Individual Preferences for Improved Electricity Services," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 8424, Inter-American Development Bank.
    10. Nepal, Rabindra & Jamasb, Tooraj, 2015. "Incentive regulation and utility benchmarking for electricity network security," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 117-127.
    11. Mirza, Faisal Mehmood & Mushtaq, Iqra, 2022. "Estimating the marginal cost of improving services quality in electricity distribution utilities of Pakistan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    12. Saastamoinen, Antti & Kuosmanen, Timo, 2016. "Quality frontier of electricity distribution: Supply security, best practices, and underground cabling in Finland," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 281-292.
    13. Ovaere, Marten, 2023. "Cost-efficiency and quality regulation of energy network utilities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    14. Galán, Jorge E. & Pollitt, Michael G., 2014. "Inefficiency persistence and heterogeneity in Colombian electricity utilities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 31-44.

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