TY - JOUR AB - Purpose This paper aims to estimate electricity demand functions in Japan’s residential sector.Design/methodology/approach The authors use a partial adjustment model and empirically analyze regional residential electricity demand by using data on 47 Japanese prefectures.Findings The results reveal that the price elasticity of residential electricity demand during the analytical period (1990-2010) is remarkably different among prefectures, depending on the magnitude of floor space per household. In addition, this study finds that price elasticity is high compared with income elasticity, implying that residential electricity demand changes with rates. Furthermore, an analysis of factors influencing electricity demand in the residential sector shows that increasing electricity demand growth in each region can be attributable mainly to declining electricity rates and increasing number of households.Research limitations/implications These results suggest that monitoring the electricity rates and the number of households is important for forecasting future residential electricity demand at region.Originality/value The study considers the impact of the number of households on overall electricity demand and identifies other factors contributing to growth in residential electricity demand. The findings can be used to derive projections for future electricity demand. VL - 10 IS - 4 SN - 1750-6220 DO - 10.1108/IJESM-07-2015-0004 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-07-2015-0004 AU - Otsuka Akihiro AU - Haruna Shoji PY - 2016 Y1 - 2016/01/01 TI - Determinants of residential electricity demand: evidence from Japan T2 - International Journal of Energy Sector Management PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 546 EP - 560 Y2 - 2024/04/24 ER -