ABSTRACT
Yolande Strengers (0000-0002-5664-621X)
Variable tariffs are intended to encourage electricity consumers to shift demand outside peak times by sending the ‘right’ economic signals. However, a range of curious phenomena confound these economic assumptions, such as the increasing demand response to some tariffs during extreme hot weather. This chapter develops an alternative understanding of price, focusing on its variability and dynamic qualities. Two variable pricing schemes are explored: one which features regularity and routine (time-of-use tariff) and another which features irregularity and planned variability (critical peak pricing (CPP)). Drawing on research with Australian households, the chapter analyses the effectiveness of these tariffs in terms of their ability to regularly shift or occasionally disrupt everyday routines. Evidence shows that the heightened demand response found in CPP trials reflects this tariff’s ability to mimic and coincide with normal disruptions, alongside the availability of alternative routines households already employ during disruptions. The chapter concludes by reframing demand management as an enterprise involving both the generation of exceptional circumstances and appeals involving different ways of spending time that make sense to householders.
