Electric Utility Construction Price Index (EUCPI)

Detailed information for 2014

Status:

Inactive

Frequency:

Annual

Record number:

2316

The Electric Utility Construction Price Index (EUCPI) series measures the price change for constructing two types of plants, distribution systems and transmission lines systems, representing electric utility capital expenditure construction projects.

Data release - April 2, 2015: Following this release of data for reference year 2014, the EUCPI will be suspended. For more information, see the note in the Documentation section at the bottom of the page.

Description

The Electric Utility Construction Price Index (EUCPI) series measures the price change for constructing two types of plants, distribution systems and transmission lines systems, representing electric utility capital expenditure construction projects. The EUCPI provides users with information that can be employed in contract escalation, cost-benefit analysis, benchmarking studies and time series analysis.

Reference period: The time period for which the EUCPI equals 100; currently this is the year 1992.

Subjects

  • Construction
  • Construction price indexes
  • Non-residential building construction
  • Prices and price indexes

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The universe for the EUCPI consists of material and equipment suppliers and manufacturers, and construction companies who are active in the construction of electric utility capital expenditure construction projects.

Instrument design

This methodology does not apply.

Sampling

The sample of establishments is derived from the list of electrical utilities across Canada, as available from the Canadian Electric Association.

Data sources

Data are collected from other Statistics Canada surveys and/or other sources.

Prices are collected for three general categories of inputs; materials and equipment, labour and finance costs. Price series related to materials and equipment come from the Statistics Canada Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) and Non-residential Building Construction Price Index series, and the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) producer price index series. Data on labour costs comes from the Statistics Canada Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) and the Construction Union Wage Rate Index (CUWR) series. The information pertaining to finance costs is obtained from the Bank of Canada.

Error detection

In the day-to-day collection and processing of the EUCPI, great emphasis is placed on the examination and evaluation of prices. Subject matter specialists monitor developments in the industry, which they compare to the price information received. Outliers or suspicious prices are identified during the initial data processing and then verified with the data supplier.

Imputation

This methodology does not apply.

Estimation

The weights are derived from information relating to completed construction projects, as supplied to Statistics Canada by the various electric utilities across Canada. From this information, a representative model is produced and the corresponding weights are used to aggregate the sub-component series into the total series.

Quality evaluation

The quality of this index is maintained through the expertise of the trained analysts assigned to it. They develop a thorough knowledge of the domain, which is supplemented through data providers. Much time and effort is devoted to detecting and following up unusual fluctuations over time in the pricing patterns of goods and services. Prior to dissemination, the price index is analyzed and historic trends reviewed.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Collected data are converted to price indexes and data are released as such, so that it is not possible to identify the suppliers of raw prices.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

The EUCPI is revised one year after release.

Data accuracy

The statistical accuracy of this index depends on price and weight data. Price data are obtained from several sources including a sample survey, other price index series (IPPI and BLS) and labour cost series (CUWR and SEPH), while the weight data are obtained from the electric utilities across Canada. Input data are subject therefore to their own errors.

Documentation

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