Demand Response (DR) is one of the typical methods for optimizing load characteristics in power systems. Utilities offer DR schemes to generate incentives toward consumers' power consumption behavior for load optimization. In tariff planning, power consumption variation is an important issue which is difficult to be analyzed quantifiably. This paper develops a boundary model for analyzing consumers' power consumption behaviors, with a particular focus on residential home appliances. Candidate tariffs are analyzed in this model for their load variation potentials. Using three case studies, this paper reflects the potential for practical applications of the model on pricing and smart meter deployment. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.