Exploring household energy patterns and inequalities in sustainability transitions - Evidence from residential energy consumption in Beijing
Summary
It is broadly recognised that demographic changes and human economic activities substantially contribute to global environmental issues, such as climate change and air pollution, with negative health externalities. Among total energy consumption, energy use in residential buildings is a large contributor to carbon emissions. Moreover, significant inequalities exist in energy use-related emissions among household groups along the energy ladder. Governments are seeking to adopt alternative energy solutions to phase out fossil fuels, both at the household- and residential sector-level. Among all countries, China figures the highest solar energy installed capacity and critical technical potential to cost-effectively improve buildings energy efficiency. The adoption of sustainable alternatives in residential buildings can help reducing carbon emissions, and address inequality. It is thus necessary to understand the conditions under which such measures can be applied locally, without exacerbating contextual inequalities. The overarching question is: To what extent and owing to what factors can households climb up on top of the energy ladder towards the adoption of solar energy and energy efficiency technologies in Beijing? And can sustainability transitions encompass a diversity of household groups?. To answer this question, a multidisciplinary framework was design based on the energy ladder model, conceptual equity and institutions in sustainability transitions. A qualitative-based approach was used for the analysis of household surveys, (participatory) observations in urban, suburban and rural sampled areas in Beijing, policy interventions and expert interviews that helped to triangulate previous results. Results showed that techno-infrastructural and institutional factors constrain the opportunity to climb the ladder for all household groups, but to different extents. Also, opportunities were identified for each household group and related energy use. This research revealed that socio-technical-level factors are interrelated to energy consumption patterns and more empirical evidence from local contexts is necessary to deeper understand this dynamic field.