Quantifying the Economic Impact of Supply Voltage Magnitude on Consumers

Increasing penetration of distributed energy resources is manifesting as voltage regulation challenges in many LV networks. Appropriate regulation of supply voltage magnitude is essential to ensure efficacy and efficiency in the operation of electricity supply networks and consumer equipment. While the theoretical impacts of supply voltage magnitude on the performance of consumer equipment, which include additional energy consumption and decreased equipment lifespan as voltage magnitude increases, are relatively well known, this has not been translated into quantitative impacts. This paper applies the outcomes of previous impact of supply voltage magnitude studies by the authors, in conjunction with domestic load models, to develop algorithms to estimate the quantitative impacts of supply voltage magnitude on consumers. The paper then applies these algorithms to calculate quantitative economic impacts that can be associated with the magnitude of the supply voltage. The outcomes of this research suggest that the per-annum impact of supply voltage magnitude on consumer equipment loss of life is potentially an order of magnitude greater than the resultant increased energy consumption based on case studies using Australian data.