Interruption Cost Methodology and Results - A canadian Residential Survey

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the direct, short term impacts and costs incurred by residential electrical consumers resulting from local random supply interruptions. The study used a mail survey to determine the residential user's assessment of the cost of electric service interruptions. The survey obtained user's cost valuation using three approaches. Two of these approaches asked respondents to indicate rate changes that would be commensurate with specified changes in reliability, while the third approach was an indirect worth evaluation based on the preparatory actions a consumer predicted he would take, given a specified (un) reliability. User's valuations are reported for a number of frequency and duration failure scenarios. Variations of user cost estimates are discussed as functions of several user characteristics. Comparisons with the results of other researchers are presented.