Biography

Lester Hunt graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc (Hons) in Economics with Econometrics. He also holds an MA in Economics from the University of Essex and a PhD in Economics from the University of Surrey. Lester has held various academic posts at the University of Essex, University College Swansea, the University of Surrey and the University of Portsmouth. Lester has also worked as an Economic Adviser at HM Treasury and as an Energy Analyst/Economist at Midlands Electricity plc (MEB).

Lester is Professor of Energy Economics and Director of the Surrey Energy Economics Centre (SEEC) and since November 2006 he has been an Editor of The Energy Journal. He is also a Visiting Professor at the  Department of Economics, University of Portsmouth and a co-investigator for the ESRC funded 'Research Group on Lifestyles Values and Environment (RESOLVE)' and the EPSRC funded project, 'Challenging Lock-in through Urban Energy Systems (CLUES)'.

Research Interests

Lester’s academic research focuses on energy demand modelling, the analysis of energy markets & regulation and energy policy.  Work in progress includes the following: 

'Measuring energy efficiency and its contribution towards meeting CO2 targets: estimates for 29 OECD countries' with J. Evans and M. Filippini (click here for the latest version of the paper).

'What Drives Natural Gas Consumption in Europe? Analysis and Projections' with Z. Dilaver and O. Dilaver-Kalkan (click here for the latest version of the paper).

'US Residential Energy Demand and Energy Efficiency: A Stochastic Demand Frontier Approach' with M. Filippini (click here for the latest version of the paper).

'Determining Trip Attraction Rates for UK Office Developments with Limited Observations and Missing Data!' with D. C. Broadstock and A. Collins (click here for the latest version of the paper).

'Accounting for asymmetric price responses and underlying energy demand trends in OECD industrial energy demand' with O. I. Adeyemi (click here for the latest version of the paper).

'OECD Energy Demand: Modelling Underlying Energy Demand Trends using the Structural Time Series Model' with A. Al-Rabbaie (click here for the latest version of the paper).

 [Please feel free to download any of the above. Lester would be pleased to receive any comments or suggestions at  L.Hunt@surrey.ac.uk  but none of the above  may not be quoted or referred to without his consent.]

Publications

Recent

'What drives the change in UK household energy expenditure and associated CO2 emissions? Implication and forecast to 2020', Applied Energy, Vol. 94, June 2012, pp. 202–214 (with M. Chitnis).

International Handbook on the Economics of Energy, (Edited), Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2011 Paperback Edition, 831 pages, ISBN 978-0-85793-825-1 (with J. Evans).

'Turkish Aggregate Electricity Demand: An Outlook to 2020', Energy, Vol. 36, No. 11,  2011, pp. 6686-6696, (Z. Dilaver).

'Transportation Oil Demand, Consumer Preferences and Asymmetric Prices', Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 38, No. 5,  2011, pp. 528 – 536, (with A. Collins & D. C. Broadstock).

'Modelling UK household expenditure: economic versus non-economic drivers', Applied Economics Letters, Vol. 18, No. 8,  2011, pp. 753 – 767, (with M. Chitnis).

'Modelling and Forecasting Turkish Residential Electricity Demand', Energy Policy, Vol. 39, No. 6, 2011, pp. 3117-3127, (with Z. Dilaver).

'Industrial Electricity Demand for Turkey: A Structural Time Series Analysis', Energy Economics, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2011, pp. 423-436, (with Z. Dilaver).

'Energy demand and energy efficiency in the OECD countries: a stochastic demand frontier approach', The Energy Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2011, pp. 59-80, (with M. Filippini).

[Click here for a longer list of selected energy economics publications]
[Click here for a Lester's RePec page]

Teaching

For 2011/12 Lester is Module Coordinator for the following modules:

ECO3012 UG Energy Economics (EE): Autumn Semester.

[click here for details]

ECOM026 MSc Energy Economics & Technology (EET): Autumn Semester.

[click here for details]

ECOM036 MSc Empirical Methods in Energy Economics (EMEE): Spring Semester.

[click here for details]

He also contributes to the following module:

ECOM027 MSc Research Methods (RM)

[click here for details]

Archive Teaching Materials prior to 2011/12:

[Click here for details]

Departmental Duties

Director of Surrey Energy Economics Centre (SEEC)

Postgraduate Research Director