Simulating household energy behavior diffusion using spatial microsimulation and econometric models

Analyzing household energy behaviors from a spatial perspective is crucial for both policymakers and network operators. However, conducting spatial analysis at a fine scale presents significant challenges, primarily due to data scarcity. This article demonstrates the potential of integrating spatial microsimulation and spatial econometric models to address this issue. Specifically, we construct a static spatial microsimulation model to create a synthetic population for the entire Netherlands, simulating neighborhood-level spatial distributions of household energy behaviors. The results indicate significant neighborhood-level spatial heterogeneity in the adoption of energy behaviors. Subsequently, this simulated output is used as input for spatial econometric models to analyze the neighborhood-level spatial determinants of household energy behavior adoption. We identify the roles of both spatial endogenous effects and neighborhood-specific characteristics in contributing to the observed spatial variations in household energy behaviors.