Who spends more on energy?: Examining energy inequality among elderly households

Abstract

Ensuring energy equity is central to sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The rapid aging of China's population has made elderly households an expanding demographic group. However, while energy expenditure is widely recognized as a key dimension of social equality, existing research on aging has paid limited attention to energy-related disparities and heterogeneity within the elderly population. To address this gap, we build a six-dimensional heterogeneity framework spanning age groups, income levels, rural-urban divides, climate zones, energy types, and survey years. Using large-scale longitudinal data, we find elderly households spend more per capita on residential energy than those in other age groups. Energy structures are similar across age groups but vary by climate zones. Energy equality has improved across age groups but remains lowest among elderly households, particularly those living alone. Among elderly households, energy equality has improved most in the cold climate zone but least in the rural temperate climate zone. Our results highlight the need for targeted support for solitary elderly households, promotion of clean energy in temperate climate zones, and energy-efficiency retrofits of older dwellings to reduce expenditures and improve living conditions.