Open AccessMeasuring social equity in urban energy use and interventions using fine-scale data
Author(s) -
Kangkang Tong,
Anu Ramaswami,
Corey Kewei Xu,
Richard C. Feiock,
Patrick W. Schmitz,
Michael Ohlsen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2023554118
Subject(s) - equity (law) , social equality , demographic economics , scale (ratio) , economic inequality , health equity , psychological intervention , economics , efficient energy use , public economics , business , inequality , geography , economic growth , political science , psychology , cartography , mathematical analysis , health care , mathematics , law , market economy , electrical engineering , engineering , psychiatry
Significance Cities seek income and racial equity in residential low-carbon energy efficiency and conservation programs. However, empirical data are limited; prior analyses suggest disparity in energy use intensity (EUI) by income is ∼25% (i.e., 25% greater EUI in low- versus high-income homes), while racial disparities are unquantified. New empirical fine spatial scale energy use data covering all ∼200,000 households in two US cities, along with separation of temperature-sensitive EUI, reveal large EUI disparities by income (27 to 167%) and race (40 to 156%). These disparities are up to a factor of five greater than the 25% income disparity previously reported. New analytics provide key insights on energy use inequality unpacking race and income, informing spatial prioritization for equitable energy efficiency investments.