Who is your Neighbour? Energy Consumption Relations in Suburban and Urban Areas. Evidence From Central Europe

Urban energy consumption shows a spatial association. This paper aims to investigate the spatial patterns of electricity consumption in Poland and determine its environmental, economic, demographic and infrastructural predictors. Spatial autocorrelation, Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) and spatially lagged regression model were applied to selected predictors. Analysis was performed at the poviat (municipalities) scale for the year 2022. Per capita electricity (PCE) consumption showed a significant spatial autocorrelation and spatial distribution among the districts of Poland. Local clusters of similar consumption patterns were identified. Urbanisation rate and particulate matter showed negative total spatial impacts, while per capita municipal waste and petrol cars showed positive total impacts on PCE in a Spatial Autoregressive Combined (SAC) model. Creating strategies for cities with similar energy consumption can lead to local and regional renewable and sustainable energy transition. Exploration of these clusters is important for an organic understanding of spatial planning.