Shadow of single-family homes: Analysis of the determinants of Polish households’ energy-related CO2 emissions

This study is inspired by the ongoing worldwide discussion about the ecological consequences of single-family versus multifamily living and the urgent need to reduce excessive energy consumption in Europe. Poland provides an appropriate country to study the determinants of household energy-related CO2 emissions due to predominant single-family housing and coal-based energy generation. Our goal is to investigate factors that impact CO2 emissions in Polish households. Using quantile regression and controlling for household income, building characteristics, energy poverty, and overcrowding burden, we examine the emissions in detached, semi-detached houses and blocks of flats. We derive data from household energy consumption and household budget surveys collected in 2018 by Statistics Poland. To model CO2 emissions, we use quantile regression, which allows capturing the difference in parameters between quantiles. Our findings support the idea that living in single-family buildings is at odds with climate mitigation goals. Households that possess large properties emit more compared to inhabitants of blocks. The impact of single-family buildings measured by quantile regression coefficients grows from about 728 to 4931 kg of CO2 in 0.05 and 0.95 percentile of CO2 distribution. Targeting overcrowded and energy-poor households is essential to ensure a good quality of life and optimized housing choices. © 2022 The Author(s)