Land surface temperature and energy expenditures of households in the Netherlands: Winners and losers

Bardia Mashhoodi

doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2020.100678

Abstract

This study aims to examine the associations between land surface temperature (LST) and annual household energy expenditure (HEE) in urbanized zones of the Netherlands. To do so, satellite images of 96 days at four different overpassing local times (10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m.) are retrieved, and annual average maximum (LST-Max) and average minimum (LST-Min) LST at each zone are calculated. Employing geographically weighted regression, controlling for 11 control variables, the results indicate that the impact of LST on HEE could not be enhanced unless the interactions between LST and location-specific circumstances are taken into consideration. In this line, four types of socio-spatial characteristics are distinguished: (1) losers, where higher levels of both LST-max and LST-Min are associated with higher HEE, characterised by high population density; (2) peak losers and trough winners, where LST-Max is associated with higher HEE and LST-Min with lower HEE, characterised by large households and elderly citizens; (3) peak winners and trough losers, where LST-Max is associated with lower HEE and LST-Min with higher HEE, characterised by private-rental dwellings and large building surface to volume ratio; (4) winners, where both LST-Max and LST-Min are associated with lower HEE, characterised by old buildings.

Highlights

The ordinary least square regression model (OLS) model seeks the global impact of land surface temperature (LST-Max and LST-Min), the control variables, and the interaction terms between LST-Max and LST-Min with the control variables on household energy expenditure (HEE)
The result of the model indicates that the level of collinearity between the predictors - measured by the variance inflation factor, VIF- falls within the acceptable range
The result of this study urges for adding land surface temperature to the scope of studies on households' energy expenditure and energy poverty

Summary

Introduction

Land surface temperature and household energy expenditure: two phenomena of critical societal importance. Land surface temperature (LST) and household energy expenditure (HEE) are two phenomena of critical societal importance in the European Union's member states and the Netherlands. Household energy expenditures – or, in its severe form, energy poverty- endangers health and well-being of a substantial portion of the population in the majority of European countries (Thomson et al, 2017). In the Netherlands, according to a report of the EU Energy Poverty Observatory (2019), almost 5% of households are facing difficulties with adequately warming their dwellings or paying their energy bills. The report emphasizes that meeting energy expenditures is challenging for households living in social housing – estimated to be as much as 2.25 million dwellings (Government of the Netherlands, 2019)

Methods

Results

Conclusion