Energy Audit Program Simulation

In 1979 and the first few months of 1980, the Florida Power and Light Company (Miami, Florida) developed a new energy conservation program, to offer residential customers energy audits conducted in their homes. Concerned with its ability, once the program was underway, to respond promptly to customers' requests for this new service, the company developed a simulation-waiting line model to predict the level of performance in terms of the average customer queue, the average customer waiting time, the maximum waiting time, the service utilization, and the idle time as a function of the number of auditors available and the number of mailings offering the service to customers. This information is used for policy determination by Florida Power and Light Company.