Factors Influencing Electricity Consumption in the Containment Period: Evidence from the Residential Sector

The health crisis following the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world has had an unprecedented impact on the consumption behavior of consumers. The confinement has plunged the population into uncertainty and, for some, bewilderment. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the factors influencing electricity consumption of the residential sector during the COVID-19 outbreak. The containment measures that were introduced due to the COVID-19 had an impact on electricity consumption. Despite an overall decrease in electricity consumption, that of households has increased slightly. Several factors can influence this overconsumption. The constant presence of people in their homes and the implementation of teleworking imply an increase in household electricity consumption. In addition, the effect of confinement on households electricity consumption is influenced by a number of social, psychological, and cultural factors including the family size, children’s age, social interactivity, flow state, lifestyle, and energy consumption culture. Other economic factors can influence the consumption behavior of households. Indeed, the massification of teleworking implies an increased use of computers and Internet networks. However, teleworking was not the main driver of variation in electricity consumption during containment, the use of cooking appliances also weighed the heaviest in the electricity bill of confined households.