The Importance of Place: Lessons From the Spatial Mapping of Hungarian Household Heating

The study described here examines the spatial patterns of household heating energy consumption in Hungary, mapped at a high-resolution 1km² grid level. The research focuses on traditional fuels and modern renewable heating technologies. The study's objective is to reveal how spatial structure and socioeconomic context influence households' positions on the energy ladder and to identify clusters representing different stages of the energy transition. Methodologically, the analysis uses global and local Moran's I to detect spatial autocorrelation, identify hot and cold spots, and cluster grid cells by their heating profiles. The results demonstrate that the geography of residential energy use is shaped not only by socio-economic variables but also by strong spatial dependencies. Neighborhood effects, local technological diffusion, and territorial path-dependencies all play a decisive role in how households progress along the energy ladder. This implies that energy transition processes unfold unevenly and are highly sensitive to the local context.