Can Chinese families climb the energy ladder? New evidence from Internet use

As an important source of global climate change, household energy consumption can successfully climb the energy ladder, which is the key to promoting sustainable development. In the digital age, the use of the Internet has provided new avenues for the energy transformation of households in developing countries. This study aims to use micro household data in China to explore the impact and underlying mechanisms of Internet use on household energy ladder, and provide experience for other similar countries. The results indicate that, first, Internet use can promote Chinese households to climb the energy ladder. The use of the Internet can reduce the probability of using initial energy and traditional energy, and improve the probability of using high-quality energy. Second, Internet use can weaken the phenomenon of energy stacking, reduce the consumption of straw, firewood, coal, and diesel, and increase the consumption of natural gas in pipelines. Third, the role of the Internet in households climbing the energy ladder exhibits regional heterogeneity. Compared to households in the eastern, urban, and central heating systems, the western, rural, and separate-household heating households have better results. Fourth, Internet use can achieve household energy ladder climbing by reducing social travel, increasing environmental awareness, and increasing happiness. Fifth, China’s peak valley electricity prices and tiered electricity pricing policies are not conducive to unleashing the energy transformation dividends of the Internet. In response to these research findings, this article proposes five suggestions to contribute more Chinese experience to promoting sustainable development of household energy use.