research

Exercising consumer choice : switching gas suppliers in the residential market

Abstract

In 1996 the UK government introduced competition into the UK residential gas market, the first such nation-wide experiment, and the forerunner of similar choice in the electricity market, both in the UK and later elsewhere. We report consumers’ attitudes to and behaviour in switching suppliers based on a representative nation-wide survey at an intermediate stage, when some consumers had a choice of suppliers, and other markets were yet to be opened. We explore their attitudes and choices using an investment model of costs and benefits

    Similar works