Appliance usage and choice of energy-efficient appliances: Evidence from rural Chinese households

Based on the household-level dataset of 1472 rural households in China in 2015, this paper provides detailed patterns of electric appliance usage in rural China and examines the factors affecting it by using a multinomial logit model. Results reveal that rural households with higher per capita incomes, with large household size and dwelling areas, are more likely to purchase energy-efficient-labeled appliances than families with lower incomes, with small household size and dwelling areas. Rural households with higher education but relatively low incomes may be hampered in their purchase of energy-efficient appliances. Households using biomass are less likely to purchase appliances in general and energy-efficient labeled washing machine and TVs in particular. Findings suggest that providing subsidies to rural households for energy-saving appliances in rural China may encourage the choice of energy-efficient appliances.