Across Europe (and in other parts of the Western World), political and public awareness of how inadequate access to affordable energy undermines individual and societal well-being is on the rise.
This awareness has increased substantially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (2022) triggered a global energy crisis. The impacts included disrupted supply and demand chains, price spikes and millions more people struggling to cope with energy bills.
Foundational research (in the 1970s) identified three underlying causes of energy poverty: low energy performance of buildings and appliances; low incomes; and high energy prices. The result is that households spend a high proportion of disposable income on energy. Even so, they are often unable to adequately heat or cool their homes, or forgo other necessities such as food, clothing or even medicine in order to continue paying energy bills.[1]
Over the years, greater recognition of other factors that influence vulnerability to energy poverty has emerged, such as the makeup of a given household and their specific energy needs, as well as contextual aspects such as the local climate (e.g. extreme cold in winter or extreme heat in summer).
A multi-dimensional challenge
In reality, energy poverty is typically one aspect of a complex and multidimensional situation. The root causes and ultimate impacts can vary widely from one context to another, at regional, community or even household levels.[2] As such, recognising situations of energy poverty and how it manifests itself in a given community may be extremely challenging. In turn, actions to intervene need to be carefully tailored.
While language is evolving, the term ‘energy poverty’ remains widely used to describe situations in which an individual or household cannot afford ‘enough energy’.
In recent directives and communications, the EU defines energy poverty as, “the inability of a person or family to afford basic energy services such as heating, cooling, lighting, mobility and power to guarantee a basic standard of living.”[3]
Other entities include other criteria. Notably, while some Member States have set national definitions that underpin policy and financial frameworks, others do not yet fully recognise energy poverty as a systemic issue requiring justice-oriented intervention.
New definition seeks to broaden the scope
CEES has sought to refine[4] a definition of energy poverty that reflects the contextual and situational aspects, as well as their impacts on all members of a given household. It recognises that energy poverty is experienced as a deeply personal matter, which many households try to self-manage by reducing consumption, cutting other expenses, or developing various coping mechanisms.
With this definition, CEES acknowledges some of the most pressing negative impacts associated with energy poverty: poor physical and mental health outcomes; challenges within family and other relationships, and broader social exclusion; and limitations on access to employment, recreation and education opportunities.
Ultimately, CEES identifies an additional driving force behind high and sustained levels of energy poverty or energy injustices: underrepresentation of vulnerable groups in energy decision making.
Click through to read more blogs related to ‘Getting Started’:
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- Summary of energy solidarity tools
- Energy solidarity to tackle energy poverty
- Aligning community needs and EC capacity
- Putting energy solidarity into practice
- The Energy Solidarity Toolkit
- An evolving role for energy communities
- Assigning roles: staff or volunteers
[1] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/markets-and-consumers/energy-consumer-rights/energy-poverty_en
[2] https://energy-poverty.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-06/EPAH%20handbook_introduction.pdf
[3] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/markets-and-consumers/energy-consumer-rights/energy-poverty_en
[4] Day, Rosie, Gordon Walker and Neil Simcock (2016) Conceptualising energy use and energy poverty using a capabilities framework, Energy Policy, 93: 255–264.