Electrical appliances moderate households’ water demand response to heat

Analysis of potentially interconnected residential water and energy demand is sparse. In a 1-in-10 random sample of Singapore households living in apartments, water use per capita declines over the socioeconomic distribution, whereas electricity use rises. Here I show that in this leading Asian city and tropical climate, water and electricity demand respond differentially to heat across different socioeconomic groups. When temperatures rise, water demand increases among lower-income households but remains unchanged among higher-income households. In sharp contrast, heat induces larger shifts in electricity demand among higher-income households. With air-conditioner penetration ranging from 14 to 99% across different socioeconomic groups, my interpretation is that water provides heat relief for households that have yet to adopt air conditioning. How Singaporeans’ resource demands respond to heat at different income levels can inform the future responses of a vast urban population on rising incomes living in the water-stressed tropics, in similar and warming climates.