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Frontiers in Energy

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Front. Energy    2019, Vol. 13 Issue (4) : 612-625    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-019-0647-6
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Understanding high-emitting households in the UK through a cluster analysis
Xinfang WANG1(), Ming MENG2
1. School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
2. Department of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China
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Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change is a global problem that affects every country and each individual. It is largely caused by human beings emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In general, a small percentage of the population is responsible for a large amount of emissions. This paper focuses on high emitters and their CO2 emissions from energy use in UK homes. It applies a cluster approach, aiming to identify whether the high emitters comprise clusters where households in each cluster share similar characteristics but are different from the others. The data are mainly based on the Living Cost and Food survey in the UK. The results show that after equivalising both household emissions and income, the high emitters can be clustered into six groups which share similar characteristics within each group, but are different from the others in terms of income, age, household composition, category and size of the dwelling, and tenure type. The clustering results indicate that various combinations of socioeconomic factors, such as low-income single female living in an at least six-room property, or high-income retired couple owning a large detached house, could all lead to high CO2 emissions from energy use at home. Policymakers should target each high-emitter cluster differently to reduce CO2 emissions from energy consumption at home more effectively.
Keywords cluster analysis      emissions reduction      energy use      high emitters      household energy consumption      socioeconomic factors     
Online First Date: 11 December 2019    Issue Date: 26 December 2019
 Cite this article:   
Xinfang WANG,Ming MENG. Understanding high-emitting households in the UK through a cluster analysis[J]. Front. Energy, 2019, 13(4): 612-625.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fie/EN/10.1007/s11708-019-0647-6
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fie/EN/Y2019/V13/I4/612
Member of the household Modified OECD for
disposable income
First adult 1
Second and subsequent adults 0.5
Children aged 14–18 0.5
Children under 14 0.3
Tab.1  Household  income equivalisation factors
Type of dwelling Heat loss/(W·°C–1)
Detached 342
Semi-detached 264
Terraced 235
Bungalow 225
Flat 167
UK mean 247
Tab.2  Mean  heat loss of dwelling types
Government office regions Gas unit price by payment method/£ Electricity unit price by payment method/£
Credit Direct debit Prepayment meters Overall Credit Direct debit Prepayment
meters		 Overall
North East 4.58 4.21 4.54 4.37 14.89 13.63 14.87 14.18
North West and Merseyside 4.61 4.24 4.59 4.41 15.14 13.85 15.19 14.46
Yorkshire and the Humber 4.61 4.21 4.60 4.38 14.85 13.55 14.81 14.16
East Midlands 4.57 4.23 4.61 4.38 14.78 13.63 14.86 14.14
West Midlands 4.72 4.30 4.62 4.48 15.10 13.75 15.04 14.38
Eastern 4.62 4.28 4.59 4.42 14.83 13.64 14.80 14.16
London 4.69 4.37 4.62 4.53 14.82 13.73 14.86 14.38
South East 4.7 4.32 4.59 4.47 14.70 13.60 14.72 14.04
South West 4.67 4.33 4.59 4.45 15.66 14.53 15.69 15.03
Wales 4.65 4.32 4.61 4.47 16.01 14.62 15.84 15.25
Scotland 4.59 4.20 4.54 4.36 15.58 14.28 15.32 14.84
Northern Ireland – – – 4.47 17.07 16.44 16.65 16.72
UK (excluded
Northern Ireland
for gas unit price)		 4.65 4.28 4.59 4.43 15.13 13.90 15.20 14.48
Tab.3  Gas and electricity unit prices across UK regions for different payment methods
Number of people in the household Equivalisation factor
One 0.82
Two 1.00
Three 1.07
Four 1.21
Five or more 1.32
Tab.4  Equivalisation factors for fuel bills under the LIHC definition of fuel poverty
Pearson
correlation		 Second dwelling in the UK Cars and vans in household Weekly disposable household income Rooms in accommodation Age of the oldest person
Second dwelling
in the UK		 1 0.133** 0.266** 0.232** 0.014
Cars and vans in household 0.133** 1 0.341** 0.485** 0.094*
Weekly
disposable
household
income		 0.266** 0.341** 1 0.480** 0.121**
Rooms in accommodation 0.232** 0.485** 0.480** 1 0.233**
Age of the oldest person 0.014 0.094* 0.121** 0.233** 1
Tab.5  Correlations  between continuous variables
Cramer’s V for Pearson’s Chi-square Composition of household Category of dwelling Tenure type Sex of HRP GORs
Composition of household 1 0.237* 0.320** 0.574** 0.207
Category of dwelling 0.237* 1 0.263** 0.213** 0.181**
Tenure type 0.320** 0.263** 1 0.294** 0.166*
Sex of HRP 0.574** 0.213** 0.294** 1 0.180
GORs 0.207 0.181** 0.166* 0.180 1
Tab.6  Correlations  between categorical variables
Fig.1  Relationship  between CO2 emissions and different variables—high emitters (in red) versus the remaining 90% households (in blue) (The y axes are equivalised annual household CO2 emissions. The unit for equivalised weekly disposable household income in (g) is ‘£’. The household income, the age of the oldest person, the number of second dwelling in the UK, as well as the number of rooms and cars are capped at the highest value in the 2012 LCF survey, as shown in the relevant diagrams, for the purpose of anonymisation. The representation of each value for all categorical variables is given in Electronic Supplementary Material.)
Variables Cluster A Cluster B Cluster C Cluster D Cluster E Cluster F
Number of households 104 107 75 56 120 48
Composition of household 71% two adults, no children 28% two adults, no children; 46% two adults with children; 23% at least three adults 23% one adult with children; 39% two adults with children; 12% two adults, no children 34% single female; 30% two adults, no children; 25% at least three adults 18% two adults, no children; 51% two adults with children; 21% at least three adults 56% two adults, no children; 38% at least three adults
Category of dwelling 95% detached 99% detached 61% semi-detached or terraced; 12% flat 38% detached; 57% semi-detached or terraced 91% semi-detached or terraced 81% semi-detached or terraced
Tenure type 98% own outright 91% own with a mortgage 64% rent; 37%own with a mortgage 64% own outright; 30% own with a mortgage 33% rent; 63% own with a mortgage 92% own outright
Second dwelling in the UK – – – – – -
Sex of HRP 91% male 99% male 96% female 100% female 100% male 100% male
Mean equivalised disposable household Income/(£•week–1) 703 758 291 448 396 391
Mean number of cars and vans 2 2 1 2 1 1
Mean number of rooms 8 9 6 7 6 7
Age of the oldest person 73% over 60 82% under 59 96% under 59 57% over 60; 29% between 50 and 59 87% under 59 71% over 60
Government office region – – – – – –
Mean equivalised household CO2 emissions from energy use at home (tonnes CO2/year) 14.45 11.77 9.97 12.88 10.23 11.54
Tab.7  Key  distinguishable variables for identified high-emitter clustersa
ECO Energy company obligation
FIT Feed-in Tariffs
GORs Government office regions
GHG Greenhouse gas
HRP Household reference person
LCF Living cost and food
LESA Landlord’s energy saving allowance
LIHC Low income high cost
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
ONS Office for National Statistics
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
  
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