Choice? What Choice?

Choice? What Choice? reports on a study of residential electricity consumers in five New South Wales regions; namely Cooma, Lismore, Bourke, Wagga Wagga and Orange. This study sought to address four key questions to gauge the ability of these consumers to participate effectively in the NSW electricity market.

Using a household telephone survey and a targeted set of in-depth interviews, the study aimed at establishing whether consumers in the five regions:

• were aware that they could choose the company that sells them electricity?
• had ever switched electricity retailer?
• and if not, why not?

The study also sought to uncover whether there were any significant demographical or geographical variances in relation to these questions.

A comparative analysis of the study’s survey results with previous electricity consumer surveys undertaken on behalf of the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) and the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) give useful context to the data collected. This context helps to gain an understanding of whether the electricity market in NSW produces uniform outcomes for residential consumers; or whether variances in marketing activity and levels of consumer awareness of choice point to the need for a  more nuanced approach when seeking to establish whether that market is effectively competitive.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references
Contents: Choice?  What Choice?  a study of consumer awareness and market behaviour in the electricity market in five regions of New South Wales: Cooma, Lismore, Bourke, Wagga Wagga and Orange / Schetzer, Louis.  Sydney, NSW : PIAC, June 2011 – Research findings : household electricity consumer survey / Wallis, Alison et al.  [Sydney, NSW] : Urbis, November 2010