Determinants of household energy consumption in urban China: A focus on education, income, and awareness

Higher education levels improve income and career opportunities and foster environmental awareness, impacting household energy consumption. To explore the relationship between education, income, energy-saving awareness, and household energy consumption, we chose four Chinese cities—Beijing, Guangzhou, Xining, and Liaocheng—ranked by per capita GDP. These cities provide a cross-sectional view of energy consumption patterns across China’s geographical regions. Specifically, we analyzed survey data from 5772 households to assess household energy consumption in the focal cities. Then, we integrated income levels and subjective energy-saving awareness and behavior into our analysis framework, examining the impact of different education attainments on household energy consumption and the underlying mechanisms. Our findings show that average household energy consumption is highest in Xining, followed by Beijing, Liaocheng, and lowest in Guangzhou. Income and energy-saving awareness and behavior moderate the relationship between education and household energy consumption. Thus, we demonstrate that the income variable has a substitution effect for education level on household energy consumption in all areas and the four representative cities. Moreover, subjective energy-saving awareness and behavior moderate the function of education, reducing household energy consumption.