Inequities in domestic energy use

Abstract

The main determinants of differences in residential energy use for space heating and space cooling arise from location, structure and design of dwelling and human behaviour. International, inter-regional and inter-household comparisons show that most available statistical data on residential energy use hide great complexity and must be disaggregated to identify real differences. Some differences are increasingly recognized as inequitous, that is, as disadvantageous to one or more groups and difficult or impossible to remove. Government energy policy mechanisms must be developed which do not increase existing inequities in the energy field, or create new ones.