China is facing the dual pressures of the control of total energy consumption and carbon abatement, guiding and controlling the energy consumption of urban residents becomes very important. Residential energy consumption is China's second largest category of energy consumption. It is important to research residential energy consumption for reducing Chinese residents energy carbon emissions, completing reduction targets and combatting global warming. Using spatial econometric analysis techniques we established a spatial econometric model with a two spatial weights matrix from geographical and socio- economic characteristics to examine the spatial effect and region difference of provincial urban residential total energy consumption in China from 2008 to 2012. We found that: the economic distance weighted spatial econometric model based on socio-economic characteristics can explain the spatial effect and region difference of Chinese urban residential total energy consumption;a positive spatial correlation in urban residential total energy consumption was significant, and eastern region exhibits a high- high assemble of urban residential total energy consumption; residential energy price and urban population size were important factors of urban residential total energy consumption, while residential energy price was more important. Therefore, the government needs to adopt differentiated energy policies for different regions during policy formulation, while optimizing energy pricing mechanism, implementing stepped residential energy prices, changing residential energy consumption attitudes, increasing awareness of energy conservation and guiding green residential energy consumption.