In response to acute environmental stresses such as air pollution, households may resort to quick and convenient adaptation measures that increase energy use, amplifying the environmental impact and requiring additional adaptation. This cycle of energy-intensive adaptation has so far received little consideration by the broader energy community. Here, we analyse the response of Korean households to PM2.5 (ultrafine dust), based on real-time hourly smart meter data. We show that a 75 μg m^–3 increase in PM2.5 concentration led to an 11.2% increase in electricity consumption, equivalent to the impact of a 3.5 °C increase in the average summer temperature. The magnitude of the energy-intensive adaptation correlated with households’ lifestyles and was higher on weekends and during daytime hours on both weekdays and weekends. The responses also reflected seasonal differences and had a U-shape relationship with temperature. We illustrate the importance of integrating the broader impacts of air pollution into policymaking to strike a proper balance between its mitigation and adaptation.

为了应对诸如空气污染等严重的环境压力，家庭可能会采取快速便捷的适应措施，以增加能源使用，扩大环境影响并需要额外的适应。到目前为止，能源密集型适应的这一循环还没有得到更广泛的能源界的考虑。在这里，我们基于实时的每小时智能电表数据分析了韩国家庭对PM2.5（超细粉尘）的响应。我们表明75μgm ^–3PM2.5浓度的增加导致电力消耗增加11.2％，相当于夏季平均温度增加3.5°C的影响。能源密集型适应的程度与家庭的生活方式有关，周末和白天以及周末的白天都较高。响应还反映了季节差异，并且与温度呈U形关系。我们说明了将空气污染的更广泛影响纳入政策制定的重要性，以在缓解和适应之间取得适当的平衡。