Understanding the relationship between household characteristics and energy consumption in the residential sector is necessary to support the implementation of effective energy policies and to improve the forecasting of modeling approaches. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion by analyzing the characteristics of households, socio-demographic variables, and appliance features that influence the energy expenditure (electricity, thermal energy, and total energy) of Italian families. This study builds on previous work by the authors, which identified the determinants of household energy expenditure characteristics using data from a representative national survey (“Household Spending Survey – 2015,” conducted by the National Institute of Statistics [ISTAT]).

This study complements and extends the previous research by applying the odds-ratio test to the previously identified determinants to identify factors leading to high energy expenditure (electricity, thermal energy, and total energy). In conclusion, this work helps provide a precise understanding of the factors influencing energy expenditure.