scholarly journals What has driven the growth of Brazil´s residential electricity consumption during the last 19 years? An index decomposition analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-39
Author(s):  
Karla Cristina de Freitas Jorge Abrahão ◽  
Roberta Vieira Gonçalves de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Energy Policies ◽  
Consumption Growth ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Index Decomposition ◽  
Residential Electricity ◽  
Residential Electricity Consumption ◽  
Low Income Households

Abstract Residential electricity consumption in Brazil has been growing during the last few decades, creating a potential opportunity to expand energy efficiency measures. However, the dimension of the sector and its closed relationship with the economic, cultural, and demographic processes causes a certain complexity in the understanding of patterns of consumption, creating additional challenges to energy policies. This study analyzed and decomposed the Brazilian residential electricity consumption between the years of 2000 and 2018, by driving factors through the LMDI-I method and IDA index, on regional level. All the data were obtained by official sources in the country. The main results obtained were: (i) the increase of household numbers was found to be one of the main drivers of consumption growth; (ii) household income showed no control over consumption in hot climate regions, except in low- income households; (iii) tariff showed to impose restrictions on consumption, also mainly in low-income households. Unprecedentedly, the results showed that the electricity consumption in Brazil varies with population age, with a trend of consumption growth up to the age 59, and a sharp reduction from the age of 60. The study presents opportunities to be contemplated in research and in energy policies.

scholarly journals Exergy and Economic Analysis of Energy Consumption in the Residential Sector of the Qassim Region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radwan A. Almasri ◽  
A. F. Almarshoud ◽  
Hanafy M. Omar ◽  
Khaled Khodary Esmaeil ◽  
Mohammed Alshitawi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Residential Sector ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Residential Electricity ◽  
Residential Electricity Consumption

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is considered one of the countries with the highest consumption of electric energy per capita. Moreover, during the period of 2007–2017, the consumption rate increased from 6.9 MWh to 9.6 MWh. On the other hand, the share of residential electricity consumption in the KSA constitutes the biggest portion of the total electric consumption, which was about 48% in 2017. The objectives of this work were to analyze the exergy and assess the economic and environmental impacts of energy consumption in the residential sector of the Qassim region to determine potential areas for energy rationalization. The consumption patterns of 100 surveyed dwellings were analyzed to establish energy consumption indicators and conduct exergy analysis. The performances of different consuming domestic items were also examined, and energy efficiency measures are proposed. The average yearly consumption per dwelling was determined, and the total energy and exergy efficiencies are 145% and 11.38%, respectively. The average shares of lighting, domestic appliances, water heaters, and air conditioning from the total yearly energy consumption were determined.

scholarly journals The Energy Equity Gap: Unveiling Hidden Energy Poverty

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuchen Cong ◽  
Destenie Nock ◽  
Yueming (Lucy) Qiu ◽  
Bo Xing
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Energy Poverty ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Limiting Behavior ◽  
Residential Electricity ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Residential Electricity Consumption

Abstract Income-based energy poverty metrics miss people's behavior (i.e., reducing energy consumption to limit financial stress). We introduce a novel method for calculating energy-limiting behavior in low-income households using a residential electricity consumption dataset. We first determine the outdoor temperature at which households start using cooling systems, the inflection temperature. Our energy poverty metric, the energy equity gap, is defined as the difference in the inflection temperatures between low and high-income groups. In our study region, we estimate the energy equity gap to be between 4.7°F and 7.5°F. In 2015–2016, within our sample of 4,577 households, we found 86 energy-poor and 214 energy-insecure households. In contrast, the income-based energy burden metric identified 141 households as energy insecure when the threshold was set to 10%. Only three households overlapped between the energy equity gap and energy burden measures. Thus, the energy equity gap reveals a hidden but complementary aspect of energy poverty.

scholarly journals Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7271
Author(s):  
Uzziah Mutumbi ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Sheunesu Ruwanza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Low Income Households

Households consume up to 20% of overall electricity consumption globally; hence, they are important role players in efforts towards promoting sustainable consumption. Research on electricity use behaviour is important for informing intervention strategies; however, relative to developed countries, research on this subject is lacking in developing countries where electricity access is limited. In South Africa, electricity use behaviour among poor neighbourhoods remains little studied and understood. This study was carried out among low-income households in Makhanda, South Africa, characterised by high poverty and unemployment rates, low education levels, and limited access to basic services. Using a self-reporting approach, electricity use behaviour of low-income households was assessed against a list of common household electricity use actions. A survey of 297 households was conducted. The findings show mixed results, with households reporting both good electricity use behaviour (e.g., cooling down hot food before refrigeration and using washing machines on full load) and wasteful actions (e.g., leaving appliances on standby). Our results show that electricity use behaviour was influenced by socio-psychological values including universalism, benevolence, hedonism, and power. Some of the reported electricity behavioural patterns are consistent with those previously reported among high-income households. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

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