智能恒温器、自动化与分时电价

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics · 2024 · [{"name": "Joshua Blonz", "affiliation": ["Federal Reserve Board of Governors"]}, {"name": "Karen Palmer", "affiliation": ["Resources For The Future"]}, {"name": "Casey J. Wichman", "affiliation": ["Georgia Institute of Technology", "Resources For The Future"]}, {"name": "Derek C. Wietelman", "affiliation": ["University of Maryland, College Park"]}]

中文摘要

自动化能否补充经济激励？我们通过随机鼓励家庭启用其现有智能恒温器上的一项功能来探讨这一问题，该功能可自动响应分时电价。该功能减少了价格最高的下午时段的空调用电，使室内温度高于家庭偏好的温度，这一效果主要出现在通常白天在家的用户中。用户在感到不适时很少手动覆盖该功能，表明他们愿意为节省开支而接受小幅增加的不适。因而，自动化能够以低成本改变家庭能源使用，并在大规模应用时可能显著降低电力供应成本。(JEL D12, D91, L94, L98, Q48)

Abstract

Can automation complement economic incentives? We explore this question by randomly encouraging households to activate a feature on their existing smart thermostat that automates responsiveness to time-of-use electricity pricing. The feature reduces air conditioning use during the highest-priced afternoon period, raising indoor temperatures above a household's preferred temperature, primarily for customers who are typically home during the day. Customers infrequently override the feature when they experience discomfort, suggesting that they are willing to trade off monetary savings for small increases in discomfort. Automation thus enables low-cost changes in household energy use, with potentially large electricity supply-cost reductions at scale. (JEL D12, D91, L94, L98, Q48)