Residential energy demand in Brazil by income classes Issues for the energy sector

Abstract

Due to the lack of reliable statistical information, the majority of analyses concerning the structure of developing countries energy market of developing countries do not disaggregate the demand by income classes. This component offers important strategies for energy planning in these countries, by making it possible to quantify the portions of society which have not entered the energy market and are more affected by internal energy price rises. This approach also emphasizes that the bulk of energy is consumed by a small fraction of the population, while a significant proportion of households do not benefit from energy services. Issues such as energy conservation, pricing and energy distribution, and the impact of technological changes must be dealt with differently in developing countries, including the characteristics of the structure of their energy markets according to income classes.