Estimating space heating determinants: An analysis of Greek households

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the main determinants of households' residential consumption for space heating in Greece employing cross-section data for 2003. In the empirical analysis household Space heating consumption models are employed, using OLS, probit, tobit and quantile regression techniques. The results show that demographic and economic variables such as age of the respondent, family size and households' annual income are suitable to explain differences towards oil consumption for space heating. In addition, the results suggest that dwelling's size and rate of occupancy are positively associated with the amount of oil that Greek households consumed in order to achieve a significant level of heat comfort for their house. By evaluating household's decision-making process with regard to space heating consumption we are able to propose an effective energy policy framework. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.