The “Average American” Unmasked: Social Structure and Differences in Household Energy Use and Carbon Emissions

Panel: Human and Social Dimensions of Energy Use: Trends and their Implications

Authors:
Loren Lutzenhiser, Portland State University
Sylvia Bender, California Energy Commission

Abstract

Although we routinely hear that the "average American" consumes twice as much energy as the "average European," studies of household consumption have shown considerable variation within the United States. However, policy analysis and forecasting still relies heavily on consumption averages for typical end-uses of energy, and efforts to segment consumer populations tend to look either at broad distinctions (e.g., single family vs. multi-family dwellings) or at psychological traits from small samples. Social theory and past research suggest, however, that household energy use is actually highly structured by household composition/dynamics, status-appropriate dwellings and appliances, and lifestyle-based behavior patterns. To date, relatively little attention has been given to systematically analyzing and reporting the respective effects of those factors.

We report the results of detailed household-level modeling of electricity and natural gas use in a recent sample of 1,627 Northern California households. Combining detailed survey data with billing histories of electricity and gas consumption and matched weather data, models of consumption at the household level are estimated and the social structuring of consumption is explored. Evidence of distinctive social patterns of energy use is reported. The research goes beyond prior work, to estimate total and fuel-specific carbon emissions for households (which are found to vary widely and follow closely the lines of social structure, but sometimes in surprising ways).