Reducing the usage of fossil fuels is a central issue in ongoing policy debates. This in particular holds for Dutch horticulture, given its energy-intensive production. We analyse differences in energy usage and price responsiveness of horticultural firms by estimating energy demand functions using a Bayesian random coefficient model. Beyond, the effects of a proposed energy tax are assessed. Allowing for firm-specific energy price coefficients gives a better model fit compared to conventional models with fixed slope parameters. This confirms that firms respond differently to energy prices, which is taken into account in simulating the effects of more restrictive energy policies. The results show that larger-sized firms use less gas per square meter yet also point at a considerable spread in additional energy expenses between firms.

中文翻译：

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公司对荷兰园艺能源政策的具体反应

减少化石燃料的使用是正在进行的政策辩论的核心问题。鉴于其能源密集型生产，荷兰园艺业尤其如此。我们通过使用贝叶斯随机系数模型估计能源需求函数来分析园艺公司在能源使用和价格响应方面的差异。此外，还评估了拟议能源税的影响。与具有固定斜率参数的传统模型相比，考虑到企业特定的能源价格系数可以提供更好的模型拟合。这证实了企业对能源价格的反应不同，这在模拟更严格的能源政策的影响时被考虑在内。结果表明，规模较大的公司每平方米使用的天然气较少，但也表明公司之间的额外能源支出存在相当大的差异。