Sustainable Communities with Smart Meters. A Statistical Measurement Model to Cope with Electricity Consumers’ Behavior

Abstract

The mentality of electricity consumers is one of the most important entities that needs to be addressed when coping with balancing issues in operating the power systems. Consumers are used to being completely passive and just plugging in their appliances. Still, recently these things have changed as significant progress of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Internet of Things (IoT) gain momentum. In this paper, we propose a statistical measurement model using covariance structure, specifically a first-order Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA), to identify the factors that might contribute to the change of attitude. Furthermore, this research identifies latent constructs and indicates which observed variables load on or measure each latent construct. For simulation, two real complex data sets of questionnaires created by the Irish Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) are analyzed, demonstrating the influence of some exogenous variables on the items of the questionnaires. The results reveal a relevant relationship between the social-economic and behavioral factors and observed variables. Furthermore, the models provide an excellent fit to data as measured by the performance indicators.