Psychological and physiological factors influencing household energy consumption among apartment occupants in major cities of Indonesia

Over the last few decades, extensive research has been conducted to explore the factors that influence household energy consumption (HEC). The personal characteristics, including preferences for life values, social interaction, living environment and lifestyle, as well as physiological characteristics may have significant impacts on energy consumption decisions, but they remain underexplored. This study aims to explore the relationships between personal factors—both psychological and physiological—and HEC among urban apartment residents in major cities of Indonesia. A large-scale questionnaire survey (n=3,131) was carried out for two major apartment types: public apartments ( Rusunawa ) and private apartments ( Rusunami ) and the structures of the influential factors for HEC were depicted comprehensively through a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results indicated that there are substantial differences in HEC structures and average consumption levels between public (low-income) and private (mid-income) apartments, driven mainly by socio-economic conditions, building attributes and contrasting cooling practices. Psychological and physiological factors influenced HEC indirectly by shaping occupant behaviours, comfort satisfaction, and appliance ownership and use, independent of socio-economic and building characteristics. Notably, sociability played a key role: a higher social interaction was associated with lower HEC in the public apartments but higher HEC in the private apartments. These findings highlight the importance of integrating social and community-oriented strategies alongside physical improvements to balance quality of life (QoL) enhancement and energy-saving goals in the developing countries. • Comprehensive structures of HEC factors were depicted for apartment residents of Indonesia. • Cooking gas consumption was dominant in public apartments while electricity consumption for appliances in private apartments. • Psychological and physiological factors indirectly influenced HEC independently from socio-demographic backgrounds. • Sociable factors played an energy-saving role among low-cost public apartment residents.