Open AccessMultiutility service companies: A complex systems model of increasing resource efficiency
Author(s) -
Varga Liz,
Robinson Marguerite,
Allen Peter
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
complexity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1099-0526
pISSN - 1076-2787
DOI - 10.1002/cplx.21706
Subject(s) - consumption (sociology) , environmental economics , efficient energy use , energy consumption , business , resource (disambiguation) , service (business) , resource consumption , service provider , supply and demand , business model , industrial organization , energy supply , energy (signal processing) , computer science , economics , marketing , microeconomics , engineering , computer network , social science , ecology , statistics , mathematics , sociology , electrical engineering , biology
Domestic households account for a significant portion of energy consumption and carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. Gains in energy and resource efficiency are undermined by the continuing rise in consumption. A multiutility service company (MUSCo) could enable households to make efficiency improvements through energy technologies and demand management, thus reducing overall consumption. We present a system dynamics model for the domestic energy demand and supply system in the United Kingdom, in which MUSCos compete with traditional utility providers. The market transition toward a leasing contracted service is examined and various potential business models explored. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 23–33, 2016