An influence of affluence on electricity consumption in an urban environment

Electricity consumption of cities has been a major concern for governments, policy makers, and utilities companies. As urbanization becomes a global phenomenon, the modeling of electricity consumption is critical for assessing the sustainability of societies in developed and developing nations. This paper describes a statistical approach for modeling electricity consumption based on demographic characteristics including household income, family size, apartment size, and more importantly the number of electricity demanding appliances in an urban setting. Implications on energy planning, energy saving practices and greenhouse gases emissions are also presented.