@Article{EE.2020.010474,
AUTHOR = {Bing Wang, Yao Yao, Liting He, Xiangqian Pei},
TITLE = {Heterogeneous Pricing and Affordability of Residential Natural Gas Consumption: Lifestyle-Driven or Income-Determined?},
JOURNAL = {Energy Engineering},
VOLUME = {117},
YEAR = {2020},
NUMBER = {3},
PAGES = {111--128},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/energy/v117n3/39502},
ISSN = {1546-0118},
ABSTRACT = {With the huge increase in natural gas consumption, the distortion of
natural gas prices, especially in the residential sector, is prominently shaped into
a heavy burden for public finance. Although city gate price and a price linkage
mechanism have been established, the price tolerance of residential natural gas
should be considered when the price of residential gas fluctuates with the
upstream gas price. Determinants of the price affordability of residential natural
gas consumption at different economic development levels (Beijing, Nanjing,
Zhengzhou) are investigated by field survey and online investigation and analyzed
by a factor analysis and discriminant analysis. The results show that most residents are not sensitive to the price of natural gas, and their motivation for substituting gas with other energy is not strong. More than half of the residents have
strong natural gas price affordability, while the weakest affordability occurred
in Zhengzhou city among the research regions. The income level of the consumers, the convenience and reliability of natural gas, and the duration of natural
gas consumption are the top three factors affecting the affordability of natural
gas prices for residents. Policy implications are proposed to facilitate the implementation of natural gas price reform.},
DOI = {10.32604/EE.2020.010474}
}