# Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Retail within Smart Cities through Demand-Side Management Models
## 3 Proposed Method
### Investigating the Retail Industry's Awareness and Willingness to Participate in DSM  
This study surveyed the energy efficiency data [37] in the energy-saving service network of Taiwan's service industry. Referring to the research report \"The Energy Conservation Measures and Applied Technologies for Demand-Side Management\" [36] executed by the Taiwan Institute for Information Industry and the Ministry of Economic Affairs Energy Bureau project, the electricity consumption status and energy usage intensity (EUI) of each floor space in the retail industry were compiled. As shown in Figure 2 below, the top three industries with the highest electricity consumption were convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and fresh supermarkets. Additionally, high-energy-consuming retail stores include convenience stores, bakeries, fast food restaurants, hot pot restaurants, and department stores. This research adopts a descriptive statistical approach, targeting 56 retail stores within a specific region in Taiwan. The aim is to understand their current energy-saving status and energy-saving awareness. According to EUI, this study classifies the electricity usage of the retail industry into six levels, with Level 1 being the lowest electricity consumption and Level 6 being the highest. As shown in Figure 3 below, this study focuses on investigating high-electricity-consumption retail stores in Level 5 and Level 6, including 56 establishments such as convenience stores, restaurants with electricity-consuming devices on every table, department stores, supermarkets with refrigeration facilities, and hotels. The survey covers 10 shopping malls/department stores, 12 markets/supermarkets, 20 restaurants, 6 hotels, and 8 convenience stores. The investigation found that the retail industry has a high awareness of energy conservation (implementing passive measures such as promoting  
Figure 2: Retail spaces classified according to electricity consumption levels based on EUI. turning off lights). However, the operating costs of the retail industry are relatively high, and not all retail businesses can afford to replace their energy-saving facilities (e.g., replacing energy equipment or installing new energy-saving facilities). Only large-scale retail businesses have the ability to do so. Although the number of retail businesses that have introduced energy management systems is limited, they have a relatively high willingness to manage demand-side electricity needs (monitoring electricity bills to adjust usage). This study adopts a descriptive statistical approach, focusing on 56 retail stores within a specific region in Taiwan as the research target. The purpose is to assess their current energy-saving status and energy-saving awareness. To understand the energy-saving awareness of retail stores, a questionnaire consisting of six items was used:  
1. Passive measures, such as promoting turning off lights;
2. Monitoring and adjusting electricity expenses;
3. Implementing energy management systems;
4. Upgrading equipment;
5. Installing new energy-saving facilities;
6. Others. The data reveal that for Item 1, retail operators are willing to adopt some measures for energy conservation. However, for Items 4 and 5, which involve investing in equipment upgrades and installing new facilities, their willingness is not as significant. This might be attributed to the fact that the retail industry includes many small stores that may not have the financial capability to bear such costs. Moreover, the implementation of Item 3, which involves establishing energy management systems, poses practical difficulties. Interestingly, for Item 2, which involves monitoring and adjusting electricity consumption, the proportion of willingness is relatively high. This suggests that small retail stores have a willingness to save energy and have a favorable acceptance of DSM practices. DSM does not necessarily require equipment upgrades; instead, it relies on providing sufficient information to enable retail businesses to adjust their electricity usage.