Evolvement of well-off rural household energy consumption structure in Northern China: a case study in Huantai County of Shangdong Province

There is scarce study on the evolvement of rural household energy consumption structure in Northern China at present. Based on the investigated data, this paper analyzed it deeply as viewed from energy types and energy end-use types in villages of Huantai County, which is typical comparatively well-off countryside in Northern China. The results show: in the aspects of the former, the coal consumption increased and dominated in all energy sources, electricity, oil products and LPG increased greatly, traditional biomass energy decreased largely but still accounted for a certain proportion; in the aspects of the latter, cooking and house heating energy consumption became nearly equivalent, the energy consumption of life enjoyment increased rapidly from the condition of cooking energy dominant in the past. In short term, all energy sources will retain the above transformation characteristics except LPG. The development tendency of rural household energy consumption in Huantai County can act as an important reference to villages of northern China in the process of building a well-off society in an all-round way.