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Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, this study researches variations in energy expenditure patterns in the United States.
The Economist released a data tool comparing energy consumption, illustrating that energy usage varies widely by state. For example, in 2014 New York state energy consumption per capita was 190 MBtu, mostly in the form of oil or natural gas; whereas in North Dakota, the consumption per capita was 865 MBtu, almost half from coal.
This study expands upon this by investigating whether housing type, and other lifestyle characteristics can predict energy expenditure patterns. We begin with a cluster analysis to group households by lifestyle characteristics such as housing size, number of cars, and urban/rural classification. After identifying the sociodemographic clusters, we perform analyses of variance for differences in energy expenditures among the clusters as well as chi-square tests of association with other defining variables such as region and housing tenure.
In the face of climate change, there is a call for energy conservation goals. With this study, policy makers can consider what would be conducive to certain energy use patterns.
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