The residential sector is a large source of electricity consumption in India, and is expected to grow by a factor of 8 or more by 2050. Analysis shows that increasing residential energy demand will primarily be driven by appliance and equipment use, and stems from several factors including more widespread access to electricity, and rising disposable income. To date, however, there has been limited granular data on residential energy end-use that provides a baseline understanding of the sector.

In 2019, CLASP worked with Environmental Design Solutions to conduct a first-of-its-kind pan-India urban residential end-use survey. The work encompassed 5,000 urban households spanning different climate zones, socio-economic strata and demographics. The objectives of the study were to evaluate appliance ownership and usage patterns for urban households and to develop a framework for future data collection and analysis.

The data indicates that appliance ownership and usage is on the rise. Per capita energy use is also increasing as a result of households shifting from an extended-family model to smaller family groupings. The data provides insights into variations in energy consumption across climatic zones, as well as demographic use patterns for the major appliances. This can inform energy policy interventions to reduce energy consumption, and feed into better understanding of future electricity demand.

Want to read more about how data can inform customized energy policy? Read another paper that details the residential survey here.