Gas demand in the Swiss household sector

Abstract

In this article, we analyse the gas demand of Swiss households and provide an estimate of the own price elasticity. We use household-level panel data from 2010 to 2014 for 958 Swiss households while controlling for several socioeconomic characteristics and dwelling attributes. The results report the own price elasticity of gas demand to be around – 0.73. An inelastic demand is expected as the gas demand among Swiss households originates primarily for space heating and water heating purposes. Policy implications are discussed.