Living with less: Energy use adaptation and housing cost burden among public housing residents

초록

Although public housing aims to provide affordable and stable living environments, many residents still continue to experience housing cost burdens and constrained energy use. These limitations can affect both thermal comfort and psychological well-being, particularly among low-income households with limited financial resilience. Using longitudinal panel data from the Seoul Public Rental Housing Panel Survey, we employ asymmetric fixed effects models to examine changes in energy use behaviors associated with transitions into and out of housing cost burden. We also assess whether these changes differ by dwelling type (apartment vs. nonapartment). Transitioning into housing cost burden was associated with increased likelihood of reduced energy use for heating, especially among residents in non-apartment dwellings. In contrast, transitioning out of housing cost burden enabled residents to restore or increase their energy use. The behavioral responses were not symmetrical, with stronger behavioral change when burden is relieved than when burden begins. Perceived housing cost burden plays a critical role in shaping energy use behaviors among public housing residents. Policy interventions need to account for both the economic and behavioral dimensions of energy poverty, including the psychological toll of constrained living conditions.

키워드