Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/196693 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12195
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines how the price of home heating affects mortality in the US. Exposure to cold is one reason that mortality peaks in winter, and a higher heating price increases exposure to cold by reducing heating use. It also raises energy bills, which could affect health by decreasing other health-promoting spending. Our empirical approach combines spatial variation in the energy source used for home heating and temporal variation in the national prices of natural gas versus electricity. We find that a lower heating price reduces winter mortality, driven mostly by cardiovascular and respiratory causes.
Subjects: 
weather-related mortality
winter mortality
energy prices
energy poverty
fuel poverty
JEL: 
I1
J14
Q41
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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