Analysis of future grid tariff design:Economic effects and possible peak loadreduction at the low voltage grid level

Abstract

In Austria, grid-tariff reform is at the intersection of affordability, fairness, and dependability, making household bills and low-voltage (LV) grid peaks a pressing issue. Previous studies frequently examine a single tariff, a specific user group, or a single technology in isolation; this thesis evaluates numerous tariff designs across heterogeneous households within a single framework and compares baseline and stress-test adoption. The goal is to determine how volumetric, yearly-peak, and monthly-peak grid tariffs affect household electricity expenditures and LV peak metrics across different flexibility classes and portfolios of distributed generation and flexible household technology. Using 15-min data for 60 Austrian households, the models were solved with linear optimization in IESopt. The yearly-peak tariff charges the annual maximum 15-minute import; the monthly-peak tariff adds charges to each month’s maximum; and for comparability, the stated peak metric is the average of monthly maxima. Peak-based tariffs lower total costs by 7.2-7.3% (baseline) and 13.6-13.7% (stress-test), with further reductions in grid-tariff charges (26.6-26.9% and 49.8- 51.3%). LV peaks decline by 26.7% and 49.8%, with the highest gains occurring in particularly very flexible homes with battery storage. Yearly and monthly peak designs work similarly. The findings support peak-oriented grid pricing for demand control while also suggesting the necessity for periodic tariff recalibration in Austria to ensure distribution system operators (DSOs) income adequacy

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Wilhelm Süßenbacher (Supervisor)