THE IMPACT OF INTERGENERATIONAL PARENTING ON AC COOLING DEMAND: EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHERN CHINA

Abstract

Given ever-increasing temperatures, household air conditioner (AC) usage is increasing rapidly, posing significant sustainability challenges. Identifying the drivers of residential demand is critical, especially in developing countries such as China. In contrast to assumptions made by the existing literature, intergenerational parenting and multigenerational households are widespread in China. To address this oversight, this study is the first to use data from an appliance-level, 15-min AC operation database from southern China to quantify the impact of intergenerational parenting families on cooling-related electricity consumption and examine its mechanisms. First, intergenerational parenting significantly positively impacts such consumption. Compared to working-age households, Intergenerational households consume 49% more electricity for cooling, and families with children consume 28% more. In contrast, families with older adults but no children use 6% less electricity for cooling than working-age families. Second, intergenerational families use the AC for 0.5 additional hours per day, set the temperature 0.9°C lower, and keep the AC idle longer than working-age households. Third, intergenerational parenting’s impact shows an M-shaped pattern throughout the day (peaking at 9:00 and 17:00). Fourth, working-age adults significantly moderate the impact of intergenerational parenting on electricity demand.