Through the Smart Metering Initiative in the Canadian province of Ontario, all residential electricity customers will be converted from a tiered rate regime to a time-of-use (TOU) rate regime by the year 2010. Although TOU rates are designed to be cost-neutral for the average consumer, research suggests that TOU rates may affect consumers differently depending on their socioeconomic characteristics. In an effort to better understand the effects of TOU rates on lower-income and senior-headed households, a case-study in Milton was conducted between June and December of 2007. The overarching thesis question is: What are the behavioural responses to, and financial impacts of, TOU electricity rates on lower-income and senior-headed households? Nine expert interviews were conducted with Ontario professionals working in government, environmental non-profit groups, citizen advocacy organizations and affordable housing associations in order to provide context for the study. Time-differentiated electricity consumption data were then collected from 199 households from two senior housing complexes and two affordable housing complexes in Milton, Ontario between June and December 2007. A questionnaire was also sent to each household to determine some socio-economic and structural characteristics of the households. The electricity consumption data collected from the four sites suggest that the households would not benefit financially from TOU rates given electricity consumption behaviour during the period prior to the implementation of TOU rates in June 2007. Thus, they would have to change their behaviour in order to benefit financially from TOU rates. During this pre-TOU period, Site A, Site B and Site C would have paid more, on average, for their electricity under TOU rates than on tiered rates ($0.34, $0.61 and $0.15 per week, respectively). While Site D, on average, would have seen no change under TOU rates. A conservation effect was detected by comparing the electricity consumption from billing periods in 2006 to corresponding billing periods in 2007 after the implementation of TOU rates. Site A saw a conservation effect during the first corresponding billing period (35%); while Site B saw a conservation effect for three corresponding billing periods (21%, 24% and 9%). Site C saw a conservation effect for the first five corresponding billing periods (ranging from 8% to 21%), while Site D saw a conservation effect for all corresponding billing periods (ranging from 10% to 34%). The presence of a conservation effect at Site D was unexpected, particularly because households at Site D are not responsible for paying their own electricity bills. Although a conservation effect was observed after the implementation of TOU rates, the extent to which it could be attributed to the implementation of TOU rates is unclear, and should be investigated further. There was no considerable shift in the proportion of electricity consumed during each of the peak periods during the summer TOU period for Site A and Site D after the introduction of TOU rates. There was, however, a slight reduction in the portion of electricity consumed during the summer TOU period for Site B and Site C (0.2% and 0.1% per week, respectively). Due to the change in the on-, mid- and off-peak schedule from the summer TOU period to the winter TOU period, the households consume more electricity during the off-peak periods in the winter than they do during the off-peak periods in the summer (even though their patterns of consumption do not change). Similar to the pre-TOU period, during the summer post-TOU period, Site A and Site B, and Site C, on average, paid more for electricity (commodity) under TOU rates than they would have paid if they had continued on tiered rates ($0.38, $0.51 and $0.16 more per week, respectively), while Site D would have seen no change in their electricity costs. In contrast, during the winter post-TOU period several sites paid less for electricity on TOU rates than they would have if they had continued on tiered rates. Site B, Site C and Site D paid, on average, $0.78, $0.16 and $1.76 less per week, respectively. Although Site A paid more under on TOU rates during the winter post-TOU (on average $0.18 more per week), the cost was less than during the summer post-TOU period. The change in costs expressed here does not reflect any reduced costs that may have resulted from conservation. For example, if the households were shown to have a conservation effect, they might have lower electricity costs. Additionally, the changes in costs do not reflect any additional fees or charges that might be attributed to the smart meter installation and the Smart Metering Initiative (e.g., additional fees from Milton Hydro). In conclusion, TOU rates appear to be ineffective at motivating these lower-income and senior-headed households in Milton, Ontario to shift electricity from on-peak periods to off-peak periods, however, a reduction in electricity usage may be attributed to TOU rates. Further research is required to confirm these effects. It is important to note that some of the lower-income and senior-headed households in this study appeared to see an increase in their electricity bill, particularly during the summer TOU period. Lower-income and senior-headed households are thought to be less able to shift electricity consumption, therefore it is important to develop mechanisms to identify households that are at risk of bill increases.

Suppliers in competitive electricity markets regularly respond to prices that change hour by hour or even more frequently, but most consumers respond to price changes on a very different time scale, i. e. they observe and respond to changes in price as reflected on their monthly bills. This thesis examines mixed complementarity programming models of equilibrium that can bridge the speed of response gap between suppliers and consumers, yet adhere to the principle of marginal cost pricing of electricity. It develops a computable equilibrium model to estimate the time-of-use (TOU) prices that can be used in retail electricity markets. An optimization model for the supply side of the electricity market, combined with a price-responsive geometric distributed lagged demand function, computes the TOU prices that satisfy the equilibrium conditions. Monthly load duration curves are approximated and discretized in the context of the supplier's optimization model. The models are formulated and solved by the mixed complementarity problem approach. It is intended that the models will be useful (a) in the regular exercise of setting consumer prices (i. e. , TOU prices that reflect the marginal cost of electricity) by a regulatory body (e. g. , Ontario Energy Board) for jurisdictions (e. g. , Ontario) where consumers' prices are regulated, but suppliers offer into a competitive market, (b) for forecasting in markets without price regulation, but where consumers pay a weighted average of wholesale price, (c) in evaluation of the policies regarding time-of-use pricing compared to the single pricing, and (d) in assessment of the welfare changes due to the implementation of TOU prices.

Through the Smart Metering Initiative in the Canadian province of Ontario, all residential electricity customers will be converted from a tiered rate regime to a time-of-use (TOU) rate regime by the year 2010. Although TOU rates are designed to be cost-neutral for the average consumer, research suggests that TOU rates may affect consumers differently depending on their socioeconomic characteristics. In an effort to better understand the effects of TOU rates on lower-income and senior-headed households, a case-study in Milton was conducted between June and December of 2007. The overarching thesis question is: What are the behavioural responses to, and financial impacts of, TOU electricity rates on lower-income and senior-headed households? Nine expert interviews were conducted with Ontario professionals working in government, environmental non-profit groups, citizen advocacy organizations and affordable housing associations in order to provide context for the study. Time-differentiated electricity consumption data were then collected from 199 households from two senior housing complexes and two affordable housing complexes in Milton, Ontario between June and December 2007. A questionnaire was also sent to each household to determine some socio-economic and structural characteristics of the households. The electricity consumption data collected from the four sites suggest that the households would not benefit financially from TOU rates given electricity consumption behaviour during the period prior to the implementation of TOU rates in June 2007. Thus, they would have to change their behaviour in order to benefit financially from TOU rates. During this pre-TOU period, Site A, Site B and Site C would have paid more, on average, for their electricity under TOU rates than on tiered rates ($0.34, $0.61 and $0.15 per week, respectively). While Site D, on average, would have seen no change under TOU rates. A conservation effect was detected by comparing the electricity consumption from billing periods in 2006 to corresponding billing periods in 2007 after the implementation of TOU rates. Site A saw a conservation effect during the first corresponding billing period (35%); while Site B saw a conservation effect for three corresponding billing periods (21%, 24% and 9%). Site C saw a conservation effect for the first five corresponding billing periods (ranging from 8% to 21%), while Site D saw a conservation effect for all corresponding billing periods (ranging from 10% to 34%). The presence of a conservation effect at Site D was unexpected, particularly because households at Site D are not responsible for paying their own electricity bills. Although a conservation effect was observed after the implementation of TOU rates, the extent to which it could be attributed to the implementation of TOU rates is unclear, and should be investigated further. There was no considerable shift in the proportion of electricity consumed during each of the peak periods during the summer TOU period for Site A and Site D after the introduction of TOU rates. There was, however, a slight reduction in the portion of electricity consumed during the summer TOU period for Site B and Site C (0.2% and 0.1% per week, respectively). Due to the change in the on-, mid- and off-peak schedule from the summer TOU period to the winter TOU period, the households consume more electricity during the off-peak periods in the winter than they do during the off-peak periods in the summer (even though their patterns of consumption do not change). Similar to the pre-TOU period, during the summer post-TOU period, Site A and Site B, and Site C, on average, paid more for electricity (commodity) under TOU rates than they would have paid if they had continued on tiered rates ($0.38, $0.51 and $0.16 more per week, respectively), while Site D would have seen no change in their electricity costs. In contrast, during the winter post-TOU period several sites paid less for electricity on TOU rates than they would have if they had continued on tiered rates. Site B, Site C and Site D paid, on average, $0.78, $0.16 and $1.76 less per week, respectively. Although Site A paid more under on TOU rates during the winter post-TOU (on average $0.18 more per week), the cost was less than during the summer post-TOU period. The change in costs expressed here does not reflect any reduced costs that may have resulted from conservation. For example, if the households were shown to have a conservation effect, they might have lower electricity costs. Additionally, the changes in costs do not reflect any additional fees or charges that might be attributed to the smart meter installation and the Smart Metering Initiative (e.g., additional fees from Milton Hydro). In conclusion, TOU rates appear to be ineffective at motivating these lower-income and senior-headed households in Milton, Ontario to shift electricity from on-peak periods to off-peak periods, however, a reduction in electricity usage may be attributed to TOU rates. Further research is required to confirm these effects. It is important to note that some of the lower-income and senior-headed households in this study appeared to see an increase in their electricity bill, particularly during the summer TOU period. Lower-income and senior-headed households are thought to be less able to shift electricity consumption, therefore it is important to develop mechanisms to identify households that are at risk of bill increases.

This thesis proposes equilibrium models to link the wholesale and retail electricity markets which allow for reconciliation of the differing time scales of responses of producers (e.g., hourly) and consumers (e.g., monthly) to changing prices. Electricity market equilibrium models with time of use (TOU) pricing scheme are formulated as large-scale variational inequality (VI) problems, a unified and concise approach for modeling the equilibrium. The demand response is dynamic in these models through a dependence on the lagged demand. Different market structures are examined within this context. With an illustrative example, the welfare gains/losses are analyzed after an implementation of TOU pricing scheme over the single pricing scheme. An approximation of the welfare change for this analysis is also presented. Moreover, break-up of a large supplier into smaller parts is investigated. For the illustrative examples presented in the dissertation, overall welfare gains for consumers and lower prices closer to the levels of perfect competition can be realized when the retail pricing scheme is changed from single pricing to TOU pricing. These models can be useful policy tools for regulatory bodies i) to forecast future retail prices (TOU or single prices), ii) to examine the market power exerted by suppliers and iii) to measure welfare gains/losses with different retail pricing schemes (e.g., single versus TOU pricing). With the inclusion of linearized DC network constraints into these models, the problem size grows considerably. Dantzig-Wolfe (DW) decomposition algorithm for VI problems is used to alleviate the computational burden and it also facilitates model management and maintenance. Modification of the DW decomposition algorithm and approximation of the DW master problem significantly improve the computational effort required to find the equilibrium. These algorithms are applied to a two-region energy model for Canada and a realistic Ontario electricity test system. In addition to empirical analysis, theoretical results for the convergence properties of the master problem approximation are presented for DW decomposition of VI problems.

This thesis proposes equilibrium models to link the wholesale and retail electricity markets which allow for reconciliation of the differing time scales of responses of producers (e.g., hourly) and consumers (e.g., monthly) to changing prices. Electricity market equilibrium models with time of use (TOU) pricing scheme are formulated as large-scale variational inequality (VI) problems, a unified and concise approach for modeling the equilibrium. The demand response is dynamic in these models through a dependence on the lagged demand. Different market structures are examined within this context. With an illustrative example, the welfare gains/losses are analyzed after an implementation of TOU pricing scheme over the single pricing scheme. An approximation of the welfare change for this analysis is also presented. Moreover, break-up of a large supplier into smaller parts is investigated. For the illustrative examples presented in the dissertation, overall welfare gains for consumers and lower prices closer to the levels of perfect competition can be realized when the retail pricing scheme is changed from single pricing to TOU pricing. These models can be useful policy tools for regulatory bodies i) to forecast future retail prices (TOU or single prices), ii) to examine the market power exerted by suppliers and iii) to measure welfare gains/losses with different retail pricing schemes (e.g., single versus TOU pricing). With the inclusion of linearized DC network constraints into these models, the problem size grows considerably. Dantzig-Wolfe (DW) decomposition algorithm for VI problems is used to alleviate the computational burden and it also facilitates model management and maintenance. Modification of the DW decomposition algorithm and approximation of the DW master problem significantly improve the computational effort required to find the equilibrium. These algorithms are applied to a two-region energy model for Canada and a realistic Ontario electricity test system. In addition to empirical analysis, theoretical results for the convergence properties of the master problem approximation are presented for DW decomposition of VI problems.

Battery energy storage systems are a key factor for enabling a continuous increase of the fraction of photovoltaics in the Swedish electricity grid. One big challenge is to utilise all potential services of such a storage system. The aim of this study was to improve the supervisory controller for an existing battery storage and photovoltaic solution marketed by the Swedish company Ferroamp AB. This has been done by developing a combined peak reduction and time-of-use bill management algorithm, together with a simulation and evaluation software for optimisation of algorithm parameters. The algorithms and tools were evaluated using an installation made by Ferroamp AB and Vattenfall Eldistribution AB as a case study. Sensitivity analyses has been performed on economic parameters and length of the algorithm training data set. Improvement of economic profit, in this case study, were 300 % compared to the currently used algorithm and 32 % compared to a conventional threshold peak reduction algorithm. Despite this improvement, the battery energy storage system is shown to be non-profitable, with the economic profit only covering 36 % of the investment costs, not taking interest rate into account. Like in many other studies, power storage was found more profitable than energy storage. An increase of the grid power tariff and the grid energy fee of 30 % to 40 % is found to make the system viable. One interesting finding is that by using the proposed optimal algorithm, 55 % of the cycle life of the battery storage is still accessible for other services when considering 10 years of economic depreciation time for the system.

The energy demand is steadily increasing, and the electricity sector is undergoing a severe change in this decade. The primary drivers, such as the need to decarbonize the power industry and megatrends for more distributed and renewable systems, are resulting in revolutionary changes in our lifestyle and industry. The power grid cannot be easily or quickly be upgraded, as investment decisions, construction approvals, and payback time are the main factors to consider. Therefore, new technology, energy storage, tariff reform, and new business models are rapidly changing and challenging the conventional industry. In recent times, industrial peak shaving application has sparked an increased interest in battery energy storage system (BESS).  This work investigated BESS’s potential from peak shaving and Time-of-use (TOU) applications for a Culture-house in Skellefteå. Available literature provides the knowledge of various BESS applications, tariff systems, and how battery degradation functions. The predicted electrical load demand of the culture-house for 2019 is obtained from a consultant company Incoord. The linear optimization was implemented in MATLAB using optimproblem function to perform peak shaving and time-of-use application for the Culture-hose BESS. A cost-optimal charging/discharging strategy was derived through an optimization algorithm by analyzing the culture-house electrical demand and Skellefteå Kraft billing system. The decisional variable decides when to charge/discharge the battery for minimum battery degradation and electricity purchase charges from the grid.   Techno-economic viability is analyzed from BESS investment cost, peak-power tariff, battery lifespan, and batter aging perspective. Results indicate that the current BESS price and peak-power tariff of Skellefteå Kraft are not suitable for peak shaving. Electricity bill saving is too low to consider TOU application due to high battery degradation. However, combining peak shaving & TOU does generate more profit annually due to additional savings from the electricity bill. However, including TOU also leads to higher battery degradation, making it not currently a viable application. A future scenario suggests a decrease in investment cost, resulting in a shorter payback period.  The case study also analyses the potential in the second-life battery, where they are purchased at 80 % State of Health (SoH) for peak shaving application. Second-life batteries are assumed to last until 70 % or 60 % before End of Life (EOL). The benefit-cost ratio indicates that second-life batteries are an attractive investment if batteries can perform until 60% end of life, it would be an excellent investment from an economic and sustainability perspective. Future work suggests integrating more BESS applications into the model to make BESS an economically viable project.

This diploma thesis focuses on the usage of digital technologies by children of early school age (1st to 3rd grade of elementary school). The aim of the thesis is to map in detail the use of screens in children aged 6-9 years and determine the age that would be suitable for the implementation of prevention programs aimed at the healthy use of technologies by children. The research is interested in how much time the children of a given age spend using electronic screens and what type of screens they usually use, what activities they do on the device, how the use differs between boys and girls and whether there are differences in use by children among the first three grades of primary school. The chosen research design is a cross-sectional questionnaire survey in an online form intended for parents. The results of the research showed that the amount of screen time increased with the age of the child and a larger increase was observed mainly in children in the 3rd grade of primary school. Most often, children spend time on mobile devices (smartphone or tablet) and watching TV. We also noticed a slight increase in the use of game consoles for boys in the 3rd grade of primary school, while girls use these devices hardly ever. Thus, prevention programs and education on the safe use and the risks...

Small and medium-scale companies are trying to minimise their carbon footprint and improve their cash flow, renewable installations are increasing all over the Europe and are expected to do so in following years. However, their dependency on the weather cause pressure on matching the production with demand. An option how to challenge this problem is by using energy storage. The aim of this project is to determine techno-economic benefits of Stirling engine and high temperature thermal energy storage for installation in energy user system and identify key factors that affect the operation of such system. In order to determine these factors simulations in Matlab were conducted. The Matlab linear programming tool Optisolve using dual-simplex algorithm was used. The sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the energy system behaviour. Economic evaluation was done calculating discounted savings. From the results, it can be seen the significant benefit of SE-HT-TES installation is the increased self-consumption of the electricity from PV installation. While the self-consumption in cases when there was no energy storage implemented was around 67 % and in one case as low as 50 % with the SE-HT-TES the value has increased up to 100 %. Energy cost savings are 4.7 % of the cost for the original data set and go up to 6.2 % when simulation with load shift was executed. Simulations have also shown that energy customer with predictable energy demand pattern can achieve higher savings with the very same system. It was also confirmed that for users whose private renewable production does not match load potential savings are 30 % higher compared to the system where energy load peak is matching the PV production peak. Simulations also shown that the customers located in areas with higher electricity price volatility can benefit from such system greatly.

The Swedish electricity system is transitioning due to the establishment of climate policy goals and trends related to technology and demographics. The transition has resulted in an increased demand for electricity. The increased demand for electricity in combination with lack of forecasts, planning and coordination between actors in the electricity sector has led to the occurrence of grid congestion. Extending the network is time-consuming and requires substantial investments. Instead, an alternative is to utilise the available grid capacity more efficiently by implementing flexibility solutions. Flexibility can be achieved by implementing incentives such as grid tariffs. This solution has recently gained much attention in Sweden, but it is not apparent how grid tariffs should be designed. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how distribution grid tariffs could be designed to incentivise different actors to contribute to flexibility in a way that results in an efficient use of the electrical grid. A qualitative study was performed, collecting empirical data through semistructured interviews with actors in the Swedish electricity market. The aim is that the results from this thesis will act as a basis for DSOs planning to design grid tariffs with the purpose to utilise the grid more efficiently. The findings present a ToU capacity charge with off-peak periods that are free of charge as the preferable main price signal in the tariff to achieve efficient utilisation of the grid. It is further argued that other structural elements can complement the ToU capacity charge. A small fixed charge could be added in order to contribute to the cost reflectiveness of the grid tariff. A small energy charge could be incorporated in order to provide consumer with incentives to be flexible below the current metered maximum power and strengthen the signal from the ToU capacity charge. A small energy charge can avert difficulties related to providing incentives below the current metered maximum, as it still can provide some incentives to be flexible, or strengthen the signal from the ToU capacity charge. Further, the energy charge can ensure sustainability if customers respond well to a ToU capacity charge and to compensate solar PV customers. Furthermore, recommendations to further enable the grid tariffs potential to provide price signals include shifting the focus of the revenue cap from CapEx to OpEx and exploring the hampering signals of the energy tax as well as contradicting price signals from the wholesale electricity price. / Det svenska elsystemet genomgår en förändring till följd av införandet av klimatmål och trender relaterade till teknik och demografi. Denna förändring har resulterat i ett ökat effektbehov. Ett ökat effektbehov i kombination med bristande prognostisering, planering och samordning mellan aktörer inom elsektorn har lett till uppkomsten av kapacitetsbrist. Att bygga ut elnätet är tar tid och kräver större investeringar. Ett alternativ är att istället utnyttja det befintliga elnätet mer effektivt genom att implementera flexibilitetslösningar. Flexibilitet kan uppnås genom att införa incitament i form av elnätstariffer. Denna lösning har nyligen fått mycket uppmärksamhet i Sverige, men det är inte klart inte hur dessa elnätstariffer ska utformas. Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka hur distributionsnätets tariffer kan utformas för att stimulera olika aktörer att bidra med flexibilitet på ett sätt som resulterar i en effektiv användning av det befintliga elnätet. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes där empiriska data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med aktörer på den svenska elmarknaden. Syftet är att resultaten från detta arbete ska fungera som ett underlag för nätägare som planerar att utforma elnätstariffer med syftet att utnyttja nätet mer effektivt. Resultaten visar att en ToU-effektavgift med gratis off-peak perioder bör vara den huvudsakliga prissignalen i en elnätstariff som ämnar att utnyttja det befintliga nätet mer effektivt. Det visar även att andra strukturella element kan komplettera ToU-effektavgiften. En mindre fast avgift kan adderas i syfte att göra elnätstariffen mer kostnadsriktig. En mindre energiavgift kan införas för att ge kunder incitament att vara flexibla även under den nuvarande uppmätta maximala effekten och stärka signalen från ToU-effektavgiften. Vidare kan energiavgiften säkerställa tillräckliga intäkter för nätägaren om kunderna svarar bra på en ToU-effektavgift och för att kompensera kunder med solceller. Ytterligare rekommendationer för att möjliggöra prissignaler genom elnätstariffer inkluderar att skifta fokus på intäktsramen från CapEx till OpEx och utforska de hämmande prissignalerna från energiskatten och de motstridiga prissignalerna från elhandelspriset.