A statistical analysis of a residential energy consumption survey study in Hangzhou, China

•In China, occupant age is negatively correlated to energy consumption.•Occupant age is related to comfort perception, expectation and behavior.•Age has a stronger effect on energy consumption than income.•Socioeconomic variables explain 26.3% of variation of heating and cooling consumption.•Socioeconomic and behavior variables explain 28.8% of variation of heating and cooling consumption. Households are major contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases and, consequently, to global warming. The past decades have seen significant improvements in building energy efficiency through the introduction of new building regulations and the construction of low energy buildings. However, the expected energy reduction has not been observed, largely due to the complicated and hard-to-predict nature of occupant behavior. This paper explores the impact of occupants on residential energy consumption in China. Surveys related to behavior and energy use in the city of Hangzhou were collected in the winter (n=642) and summer (n=838). Findings show that occupant age is a more significant factor than income. Contrary to existing research, a negative correlation between occupant age and energy consumption was found in this study. Elderly residents exhibit a more frugal behavior pattern than the younger ones. In addition, this paper reveals that household socio-economic and behavior variables are able to explain 28.8% of the variation in heating and cooling energy consumption.