Household Energy Research Articles

Gender, Energy Expenditure and Household Cooking Fuel Choice in Nigeria

This paper investigates the impact of women’s intra-household bargaining power on household cooking fuel choice. It further analyzes the determinants of household energy spending after the decision to use a given fuel has been made. The results reinforce the important role women play in the household cooking fuel choice and energy transition from traditional to modern fuel. In addition, income and education are found to be crucial factors that influence both household cooking fuel choice and energy expenditure. These findings imply that energy transition policies need to consider gender dimension and women’s intra-household bargaining power.

Study on optimization of household energy use considering photovoltaic access

Home access to photovoltaic and configuration energy storage can reduce the cost of energy consumption and suppress grid fluctuations. At the same time, various loads in the family can be divided into base loads and flexible loads according to their functional characteristics, some of them also be gas and electricity dual-use loads. This paper aims to reduce the energy consumption cost of households. Firstly, it classifies the loads in photovoltaic-connected households, optimizes the energy source selection of gas and electricity dual-use loads, and optimizes the scheduling of flexible loads’ working hours. Setting reasonable constraints while ensuring the primary energy demand of family members for each load reduces households’ dependence on external energy and energy expenditure. Moreover, the pressure on the regional energy supply can be alleviated by stabilizing the working time of flexible loads.

The Consumer and the Power Grid: Evolution of Problems and Solutions

Mass electrification during the 20th century translates most of the household energy needs into the electrical domain. Electrical energy topics such as distribution, metering, and quality are mainly considered successfully resolved. However, the Power Demand Peak problem remains open in real practice. An outline of such a problem is presented along with the proposal for decentralization of load handling to the level of a Distributive Transformer. A simulation model based on the European Commission Energy Efficiency Status Report statistical data has shown considerable potential for lowering daily peak energy consumption. The analyzed approach uses a widely available framework and simplifies the Power Demand Peak problem through handling a home appliance which activation can be postponed without expressively affecting consumer comfort. Such a decentralized approach enables the connection between the traditional power grid and the local Smart Grid without significant additional investments, relying on the already available information infrastructure.

Urban Households’ Investment Behaviour Towards Home Appliances in India: Do Gender and Neighbourhood Effect Matter?

This study assesses the influence of women’s bargaining power and the peer or neighbourhood effect on urban households’ investment behaviour towards home appliances, specifically refrigerators and air conditioners. The impact of women’s bargaining power has been demonstrated in different domains, including household expenditure/investment decisions, technology and clean fuel adoption, children’s education, and so on. Since women primarily operate household appliances, for example, refrigerators, we argue that the former could impact investment decisions related to appliances. Additionally, we study the neighbourhood effect as the acquisition and choice of appliances, vehicles, and new technologies and the reduction of household energy consumption heavily rely on information from the neighbours. This communication dynamic reduces perceived social and technological uncertainties related to the product. Therefore, we hypothesise that household appliance ownership accelerates when there is increased use in the neighbourhood. Analysis based on data from the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2005 & 2012) shows that women’s education and property ownership are positively related to refrigerator and air conditioner ownership. The neighbourhood effects on the same have also been found to be positive and significant. This study, in sum, provides new insights into the factors that influence urban households’ investment behaviour towards appliances, and in terms of policy implications, these findings could be useful in the promotion of energy-efficient home appliances as we are aiming for net zero emission in the decades to come.

Energy and the social contract: From “energy consumers” to “people with a right to energy”

AbstractThroughout the last decade, the goal of acknowledging and alleviating energy poverty has made its way to the core of energy policies across the world, including the high‐standing SDG7 as a benchmark. While much debate is still devoted to conceptual and empirical clarifications, its measurement through indicators, or the appropriate policies aimed at tackling it, there is widespread acceptance that energy poverty impacts tens of millions of lives across Europe and beyond. More recently, energy poverty has been deepened by a succession of international crises. We argue that the responses currently enacted to address energy poverty, in the context of these overlapping crises, point to a more profound problem that pre‐existed the crises and reflects the current paradigm for household energy access. In this article, we aim to tie some of the loose ends in debates around the right to energy. We address some essential underpinnings of a rights‐based approach to energy, by connecting existing narratives to the broader scope of the social contract, used as a concept which bears implications on the social and economic arrangements emphasized by the fundamental pillars of SDGs. We argue that, because energy markets are highly sensitive to instability and crisis contexts, there is a need to shift the paradigm from energy as a commodity purchased by consumers from markets towards energy as a right of people living in modern political communities, and tailoring energy policies around the right to energy.

A Snapshot of Where We Are. A Gross Domestic Product Analysis Related to Household Energy Price Index in the European Union

A Snapshot of Where We Are. A Gross Domestic Product Analysis Related to Household Energy Price Index in the European Union

Spatial and temporal access to warm spaces during the winter of 2022/2023

It is estimated that over half a million people visited one network of ‘warm rooms’ during the winter of 2022 in the UK, a figure that may rise to 2.5 million people if other networks are considered. As well as offering a means to try to limit exposure to cold temperatures and reduce household energy costs, these winter warm hubs also address wider concerns such as social isolation, loneliness and mental well-being as the cost-of-living bites. This graphic demonstrates how geospatial approaches can be used to explore access via public transport and walking to a network of warm spaces in the capital city of Cardiff, Wales. By accounting for site opening times in relation to existing bus timetables for those for whom walking may not be an option, we illustrate how such information can be included in three commonly applied access measures (floating catchment area, cumulative opportunity and shortest distance) to highlight potential spatio-temporal gaps in provision across the city.

Going beyond frontiers in household energy transition in Poland—a perspective

Transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable environment is mainly driven by co-participation of households, whereas the residents’ transformation willingness is determined by various factors, including an environmentally-friendly attitude and greater public awareness. Simultaneously, the global push for a climate-neutral economy fuels the increasing emphasis on eco-consciousness and promotion of green investments. However, Poland still heavily relies on coal for energy production, despite the opportunities provided by the EU. Poland faces challenges in transitioning its households to cleaner energy sources, particularly due to historical conditions and the dominance of solid fuel boilers. This article shed light on the inefficiency of the energy transition process in Poland, presenting legal, economic, and social aspects. Despite multiple efforts, energy transition in Poland is not as buoyant as in other EU countries. Among the reasons for this phenomenon are the adverse behavior of residents, or government policies that favor the carbon-centric nature of the economy resulting in the low use of EU and state funds. This may lead to a continuation of the slower pace of change and eventually reaching the Frontier of development in Poland’s energy transition. The multitude of campaigns and initiatives encouraging Poles to switch to green energy should be underscored, but due to their scant ecological awareness and orientation towards economic rather than ecological considerations, existing measures should be reviewed. In view of the above, to ensure an effective transition, it is necessary to recognize and clearly define the incentives that would induce Polish households to use climate-neutral energy sources.Foreword: Monetary data has been standardized and, in view of this, the paper uses the euro (EUR) currency, including in places where the original data was given in a different currency. The exchange rate as of 12 June 2023 was used.

Price and Income Elasticities of Hungarian Household Energy Demand: Implications for Energy Policy in the Context of the Energy Crisis

The energy crisis that began in the second half of 2021, exacerbated by the Russian-Ukrainian war, created unexpected difficulty for European Union Member States in terms of shaping their energy policies. Hungary was one of the most vulnerable countries, whose economic development was fraught with severe risk due to the strong dependence on Russian energy sources and regulated energy prices for households, significantly slowing down the transition to green energy. The sharp change in energy prices due to the introduction of a price cap in 2013-2014 and the partial adjustment in 2022 draws attention to the situation of Hungarian energy demand. This study describes the absolute short-term price elasticities of Hungarian household natural gas and electricity demand and gas and electricity cross-price and income elasticities of the former for income deciles between 2010 and 2021 using the midpoint percentage method. The results show that electricity demand is more elastic than gas demand, implying that Hungarian household consumers are more responsive to changes in electricity prices than those of gas. In addition, low-income Hungarian households are more sensitive to changes in both of the latter than high-income households, while no consistent pattern is identified in the relationship between income and energy demand. Accordingly, the study recommends the implementation of a multi-tariff pricing strategy based on the energy burden of the income deciles. This should particularly target the first two deciles, which are the most vulnerable and sensitive to energy price changes.

Untangling electricity demand elasticities: Insights from heterogeneous household groups in Pakistan

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of evaluating household energy demand's income and price elasticities by employing micro data from eight independent household surveys spanning 2001–2019. To achieve this objective, a pseudo-panel is employed; therefore, 1200 cohorts are constructed based on various variables such as region, climatic zone, months, and expenditure deciles. The findings reveal a relatively higher own price elasticity, illustrating a decline in household electricity usage with increased electricity prices. Therefore, any policy that tends to increase electricity prices would cut back household electricity usage. The findings of cross-price elasticities demonstrate that electricity is a substitute for gas and firewood in Pakistan. Moreover, quantile regression was utilized to explore the relationship between energy consumption and predictors. The results indicate that elasticities vary significantly at different levels of electricity usage. In addition, electricity elasticities across different heterogeneous groups are also estimated, their results indicating that low-income groups are more price elastic than the high-income group. Furthermore, electricity demand in rural areas is more price elastic than in urban areas. Therefore, policies induced in the energy sector might cause significant redistribution effects. Therefore, the findings of this study provide valuable insights of the determinant of household electricity usage in Pakistan and emphasize the importance of incorporating income and price elasticities in formulating energy policy. By considering households' heterogeneous characteristics, policymakers can formulate equitable and efficient policies, ensuring that the benefits of such policies are distributed fairly for all segments of society.

Impact of internal migration on household energy poverty: Empirical evidence from rural China

Reducing energy poverty has been recognized as an effective way to eliminate overall poverty and achieve sustainable development for individuals, which are two major global challenges. This study investigated how migration affected household energy poverty in rural China. Drawing on data from the China Family Panel Studies, we adopted the instrumental variable method to examine the causal relationship between internal migration and energy poverty and probe its mechanisms. We found that internal migration significantly reduced the likelihood of family energy poverty. Specifically, the probability of energy poverty in a family with labor migration was 13.1% lower than in a family without labor migration, and the probability of energy poverty decreased by 6.4% when each additional laborer in the family migrated. Furthermore, a heterogeneity analysis revealed that labor migration had a particularly significant impact on families in central and western regions and villages near counties. Migration also plays amore important role for low-income households with less-educatedmale heads. The mechanism analysis revealed that labor migration could reduce the probability of family energy poverty by increasing family income, which outweighed the negative effects of the increased share of elderly and children left behind by migration. These findings offer important policy insights for countries undergoing development and transformation.

The exposure-response of air pollution and climate change to chronic respiratory diseases: Does residential energy efficiency matter?

Promoting energy efficiency is crucial for reducing energy consumption, yet its impact on human health remains discussed. This study examines the relationship between household energy efficiency, ambient air pollution, climate change, and mortality risk from chronic respiratory diseases. The study collected observational data in six major cities in Taiwan from 2008 to 2020. The energy efficiency level was determined using the input demand function derived from the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Subsequently, analysis was conducted employing a dynamic panel data model and a pooled mean group estimator. The study's findings indicate that enhancing household energy efficiency decreases the mortality rate associated with chronic respiratory diseases. Specifically, at the highest level of energy efficiency (99%), the relative risk reaches its lowest value of 0.639 (95% CI: 0.58–0.70). Additionally, a positive exposure-response relationship is observed between degree days and ambient air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, and SO2), associated with an increased risk of death from chronic respiratory diseases. These results underscore the importance of initiatives to enhance energy efficiency programs in households, particularly in metropolitan areas.

Environmental impacts of household energy use in ASEAN-5 countries: Are there asymmetric effects?

Although there have been many recent studies on the impact of energy use on carbon dioxide emissions, the ASEAN region has not received much attention. It is important to understand the relationship between energy use and emissions in these countries because their energy demands are growing quickly due to urbanization and electrification. In this study, we focused on the five largest ASEAN economies, known as ASEAN-5, and used a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model to analyze the asymmetric effects of per capita energy consumption on carbon dioxide emissions. We found that there is a significant long-term asymmetrical effect in Thailand, and a significant short-term asymmetrical effect in Malaysia. These results suggest that there is a need for more ambitious energy efficiency policies to improve building, equipment, and appliance efficiency, which will ultimately help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The European Union’s Energy Policy Efforts Regarding Emission Reduction in Cities—A Method Proposal

Decisions regarding waste and emission management systems are subject to many sustainability criteria, including environmental, social, and economic criteria. The problem is the multidimensionality of the energy transformation and its reading from different perspectives. This article aims to assess the effectiveness of the municipal energy policy. The VIKOR multicriteria analysis approach to modeling and Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation were chosen for the method. The approach made it possible to create a ranking and choose a compromise solution. The analyses were carried out for four areas of intervention (ETS tariffs), in which a set of four general criteria and twelve specific criteria were distinguished, and based on the weights assigned, rankings were created highlighting the activities that have the greatest impact on low emission in urban areas. Based on the analyses, it was found that the most significant impact on reducing emissions in urban areas has led to decisions to increase investments in renewable energy sources and promote the reduction in household energy consumption.

Preference of consumers for higher-grade energy-saving appliances in hierarchical Chinese cities

Promotion of energy-saving household appliances (ESHAs) potentially contributes to optimizing both the total quantity and efficiency of household energy consumption. Differences in urban consumers’ preference for higher-grade ESHAs as well as its influencing factors in cities with hierarchical socioeconomic levels remain elusive. Targeting 55 Chinese cities pertaining to three levels of socioeconomic development, we distribute questionnaires designed to cover both demographic and consciousness factors. By combining Contingent Valuation Method and multiple linear regression, the extra willingness to pay (WTP) for Grade-1/2 appliances compared with Grade-3 appliances is measured, and the influence factors on the WTP as well as consumers with highest WTP are identified. The extra WTP for Grade-1 appliances in First-, Second- and Third-level cities is 44.1%, 42.3% and 32.7%, respectively. The influences of age, household income, having children or not and monthly electricity bill parallel the socioeconomic level, while gender and schooling affect differently across socioeconomic levels. Consumers in less developed cities focus more on their affordability for the ESHAs, and in more developed cities have better environmental consciousness. Subsidies for consumers, such as those having master degree or above in First-level and Second-level cities, and having children in Third-level cities will increase their WTP. The findings provide insights for policy interventions aimed at boosting the purchase behavior for ESHAs according to local conditions for control of both household energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Living with energy poverty: Uncovering older people’s fuel choices in urban China

Cities are front-runners and essential actors in the household energy transition from traditional solid to modern non-solid fuels. However, achieving an equitable and just transition in cities presents challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations. Among these vulnerable groups, older people are particularly affected by energy poverty, facing inadequate access to clean and modern energy. Yet, the linkages between their energy poverty and fuel choices remain underexplored, especially in urban areas outside the Global North context. This study focuses on China, a fastest-aging country, and aims to understand why some older people in affluent urban areas continue to burn honeycomb coal briquettes. By analyzing older people’s subjective experiences and objective connections to their fuel use, we uncover their lived experiences with energy poverty. We extended the ‘Energy Cultures Framework’ by including older people's vulnerability attributes alongside their material culture, norms, practices, and external influences. Using semi-structured interviews and participant observations in urban Wuhan, we found two patterns of dirty fuel stacking among older people facing energy poverty: passive and active dirty stacking. Passive dirty stacking is mainly caused by older energy-poor individuals' material culture, external influences, and vulnerability attributes; whereas active dirty stacking is primarily associated with their norms, practices, vulnerability attributes, and related external factors. Our findings provide strong implications for social and energy policy, particularly regarding the characterization of energy poverty, regulatory and infrastructural responses, social justice, grassroots governance, energy literacy, and cultural compatibility.

PV Sizing and Investment Support Tool for Household Installations: A Case Study for Croatia

In the wake of the green energy transition, the European Union is using solar energy as its focal point. Different supporting development schemes aim to bring energy closer to the hands of the citizens. In various European countries, the integration of solar energy in households has made significant steps forward, but in Croatia, the process has been lagging, with just humble results of installed rooftop solar capacity being integrated in recent years. The uptake of this process is happening, and it is important to facilitate the process to make it more efficient. In this regard, there are two main aspects covered in this paper. The first deals with the problem by disseminating the statistics and findings of the online tool accessible to the public, which aims to widely promote the integration of solar using the provision of precise and on-the-spot information for all interested citizens. The second aspect deals with the simulation segment, aiming to provide deeper insights into the solar integration process and its legal and administrative framework based on the insights gathered from the PV sizing optimization tool expanded with additional multi-scenario simulation analysis.

Are households shifting toward cleaner cooking fuel? Empirical evidence from India during 2005–2021

The natural environment is negatively impacted by the daily fuel use for domestic purposes, particularly in developing nations with large populations, such as India, where biomass is the primary source of fuel for household cooking. However, a greater understanding is needed about the trends, patterns, and factors affecting household energy consumption and choice in India over the past two decades. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data from the years 2005–2006, 2015–2016, and the most recent year 2019–21 are used in this study to empirically demonstrate that characteristics including gender, education, capital, social status, and geography have significant influence on a household's decision to use cleaner energy. The results report that homes in rural regions, the poorest and most impoverished households, those headed by women, and without formal education have been unable to switch to cleaner fuels such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG) over time. As the study suggests that increasing income levels and education can lead to a shift toward cleaner household energy consumption, policies promoting economic growth and education can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from household energy consumption. Thus, policies like subsidies in LPG and electricity shall explicitly aim to assist impoverished households and lower-income families in enhancing their accessibility and affordability options for cleaner energy sources. The research underscores the significance of directing efforts towards the economically disadvantaged segments of society, guaranteeing their access to more environmentally friendly energy sources.

Household energy and comfort impacts under teleworking scenarios via a zoned residential HVAC system

Teleworking is a prevalent example of partial building occupancy and prevents homeowners from using a setback or set up temperature setpoint to save energy. Due to a lack of certainty on how teleworking affects houses, this study aimed to quantify energy consumption and thermal comfort under different teleworking scenarios. Likewise, the effect of HVAC zoning by comparing two-zone houses with one-zone houses is investigated. Three teleworking scenarios across six Canadian climate zones were used to assess two house models with two HVAC zoning configurations. The results of this study indicate that teleworking increases energy consumption by up to 9% in houses. By employing the two-zone house instead of the one-zone house, energy performance benefits from using two thermostats in a house. The results show that two-zone HVAC systems can reduce energy consumption by up to 31% and thermal discomfort by up to 24% compared to traditional one-zone houses.

Intelligent energy management system for smart home with grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic/ gravity energy storage system

A dynamic smart home energy management system (SHEMS) is proposed in this study to address the growing concerns of energy conservation and environmental preservation. This study contributes a novel one-week dynamic forecasting model for a hybrid PV/GES system integrated into a smart house energy management system, encompassing dynamic electricity pricing, smart appliance control, PV generation forecasting, and gravity energy storage state of charge prediction. The findings of this study demonstrate that the developed dynamic SHEMS model significantly reduces household energy use and lowers the cost of power. With this SHEMS model, the hybrid PV/GES can supply the house's energy needs for eight and a half hours each day. In addition, it offers the advantage of low electricity price for charging the battery of the electric vehicle. Performance indicators such as RMSE and MAPE are employed, yielding forecast error results ranging from 13.45 % to 23.16 % for RMSE and 4.06 % to 11.27 % for MAPE.