Measurement and analysis of direct and indirect household energy consumption: a case study of China

Household energy consumption is one of the important indicators reflecting the economic development and living standard across countries. Using China's classified household energy consumption and daily expenditure data from 2011 to 2019, this paper first calculated the overall direct and indirect household energy consumption in China in recent years by means of energy classification and consumer lifestyle analysis (CLA), and then analyzed the characteristics and changes of household energy consumption structure, and the different trends between urban and rural areas in China. We found that 1) Coal consumption occupied the first place in indirect energy consumption, followed by electricity. In terms of the overall trends, whether direct or indirect energy consumption, the proportion of coal was declining while those of electricity and natural gas were increasing year by year. 2) Indirect energy consumption accounted for the majority of the total, and the largest share of that was about housing consumption both in urban and rural areas. The changes in the indirect energy consumption structure of the urban and the rural were quite different. Compared with the indirect energy consumption of the rural, that of the urban showed both a faster growth rate and a larger share in the total indirect consumption, which reflected the inequality trend at present in energy consumption intensity and structure between urban and rural areas in China.

Automated summary

This paper calculates China's household direct and indirect energy consumption using classified energy consumption and daily expenditure data. The study analyzes the characteristics and changes in energy consumption structure and the disparities between urban and rural areas. The findings show that coal consumption is the highest in indirect energy consumption, followed by electricity. Overall, the proportion of coal consumption is declining while electricity and natural gas consumption are increasing. The majority of energy consumption is indirect, with housing consumption being the largest share in both urban and rural areas. The indirect energy consumption structure differs significantly between urban and rural areas, with urban areas showing faster growth and a larger share, indicating an inequality trend in energy consumption intensity and structure between these regions in China.