TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of cooling energy needs on subjective well-being
T2 - Evidence from Japan
AU - Igawa, Moegi
AU - Piao, Xiangdan
AU - Managi, Shunsuke
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (grant number JP20H00648 ), the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund ( JPMEERF20201001 ) of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan , and a Sompo Environment Foundation Grant for Graduate Students.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Given the increasing energy needs for indoor cooling and the growing attention to energy poverty, it is important to understand how cooling energy needs in the hot summer season affect human well-being in relation to income level. Using Japan as a case country, this study examines how much energy consumption increases in response to higher temperatures in the summer season and how the additional energy needs for indoor cooling, in turn, affect subjective well-being (SWB). The results confirm that higher cooling energy needs can reduce SWB. In relation to income level, the lowest-income group faces the highest cooling energy needs, presumably due to lower energy efficiency in housing. In contrast, the negative effect of cooling energy needs on SWB is the largest for the middle-income group. This contradictory finding implies that behavioral aspects matter for the evaluation of SWB.
AB - Given the increasing energy needs for indoor cooling and the growing attention to energy poverty, it is important to understand how cooling energy needs in the hot summer season affect human well-being in relation to income level. Using Japan as a case country, this study examines how much energy consumption increases in response to higher temperatures in the summer season and how the additional energy needs for indoor cooling, in turn, affect subjective well-being (SWB). The results confirm that higher cooling energy needs can reduce SWB. In relation to income level, the lowest-income group faces the highest cooling energy needs, presumably due to lower energy efficiency in housing. In contrast, the negative effect of cooling energy needs on SWB is the largest for the middle-income group. This contradictory finding implies that behavioral aspects matter for the evaluation of SWB.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107464
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107464
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85130335890
VL - 198
JO - Ecological Economics
JF - Ecological Economics
SN - 0921-8009
M1 - 107464
ER -
