Electricity-saving potential of residential buildings: empirical evidence from resident habits

The electricity usage in residential buildings in China has increased sharply in recent years, placing great pressure on the power supply. We use electricity usage data at the household level to analyze resident electricity usage behavior. Based on cluster analysis, we categorize electricity usage in residential buildings into three types: the summer-sensitivity type, winter-sensitivity type, and balanced type. Habits exert a significant effect on resident electricity usage and show different effects across different resident electricity usage patterns. We find that the electricity-saving potential of incorporating certain habits in summer and winter is 9.34% and 8.35%, respectively. Our findings have practical significance for reducing electricity usage in residential buildings.