Seminar: Energy Prices and Household Finance (273036)

BSc WiWi PO 2017: Major Area VWL

BSc WiWi PO 2017: Major Area BWL

Block course

Plenary Session 1 (CW 16): Introduction

Plenary Session 2 (CW 17): Household energy prices, energy burdens, and energy poverty

Plenary Session 3 (CW 17): Pricing structures, contracts, and heterogeneous household outcomes

Meeting(s) to discuss term paper outline

Plenary Session 4 (CW 26): Term paper presentations

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

Household Energy Demand

1. Household’s short- vs. long-run energy demand
2. Heterogeneity in energy price sensitivity
3. Behavioral responses to dynamic and time-of-use tariffs

Household Finance and Household Energy Burdens

1. Energy expenditures and household energy burden
2. Energy poverty: determinants and consequences
3. Coping strategies for price shocks

Pricing and Contracts

1. Tariff design (fixed, variable, time-of-use) and household consumption
2. Contract length, switching costs, and financial exposure
3. Dynamic pricing or smart metering adoption and household risk

Economic Policy

1. Pricing policies and household welfare
2. Targeted support and subsidised tariffs to mitigate energy poverty