Spatially variation of the relation between residential energy consumption and life expectancy at birth in mainland China was illustrated. Close associations were found between household coal/household electricity and life expectancy at birth at the provincial level in mainland China in 1990, 2000 and 2010. Household coal and electricity consumption showed significant negative/positive relations to life expectancy at birth in Chinese rural areas than urban areas. Furthermore, geographically weighted regression showed spatial non-stationary of the relations between residential energy consumption and life expectancy at birth in mainland China, especially for the household coal and household electricity. The negative correlations of household coal and life expectancy at birth denoted that household coal in the western part was more serious than the eastern part of China. In comparison, positive correlations between household electricity and life expectancy at birth showed an increasing trend from the east to the west, which indicated the positive effects of electricity, especially in western China. The results provided new insights into Chinese residential energy policy implications with spatial feature, which highlighted the higher priority in the energy ladder model to improve the household coal quality and increase the household electricity utilization especially in western rural areas in China. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.