Development of customer survey instruments for reliability worth evaluation in electric power systems

This paper presents a methodology to develop survey instruments to evaluate costs and losses incurred by customers during interruptions to the electrical supply system. This work is part of an ongoing research project in the Power Systems Research Group at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. The paper focuses on a procedure to develop and design mail-out survey questionnaire packages, in particular for the Government, Institution and Office Building (GIO) sector of the economy. A brief description of previous results and of the project's current status is provided. The method by which customer information is collected and manipulated to provide a basis for economic reliability management decisions in electric utilities is discussed.