摘要：In 1994 over 18 per cent of Irish households possessed a free electricity allowance. Thiscreates complications in using the 1994-95 Household Budget Survey to estimate an Engel curvefor electricity expenditure. Ignoring the allowances leads to biased estimates of elasticities anddistorts comparisons between sectors. Examining the sub-populations with and without allowancesresults in conclusions leading to a substantial revision of the income elasticity for household electricityexpenditure and
