The Economic Value of Residential Electricity Consumption in Seoul

Electricity is the basic building block of economic development, and constitutes one of the vital infra-structural inputs in socio-economic development. The demand for electricity has been increasing due to extensive urbanization, industrialization, and a rise in the standard of living, as is the case with residential electricity consumption. This paper attempts to estimate the consumer surplus and the economic value of the residential consumption of electricity in Seoul to assist in decision-making in electricity management. The estimated consumer surplus represents the value of the area under the demand curve, above the actual price that is paid for residential electricity consumption. The estimated annual consumer surplus and economic value for the year 2005 amount to 2,144.7 and 3,727.4 billion won, respectively. The estimates per kWh were 184.9 and 316.0 won, respectively, which imply that the consumer surplus and the economic value of residential electricity consumption significantly outweigh the average price of electricity in 2005 of 91.1 won per kWh.