The term energy poverty is used to describe a situation of a household not able to satisfy socially and materially the required levels of its energy services. Energy and fuel poverty is an increasing problem in the European Union. Although the specific conditions vary from country to country the...Read more
This article reviews historical data on cold-related deaths in Europe (1980–2013). It outlines the classic ‘excess winter deaths’ methodology used to estimate cold-related mortality and explores the inaccuracies that are associated with this generic estimation method: it yields relatively...Read more
In this study, prepared for National Grid Affordable Warmth Solutions by The Children’s Society and National Energy Action, we explored the effects of living in fuel-poor households on everyday life, the tactics that people deploy to try to cope with these, and some of the unintended...Read more
Recent quantitative and qualitative evidence documents a dramatic reduction in average direct UK household energy consumption in the last decade. The ‘fuel poverty gap’ in the UK (average shortfall that fuel poor households experience in affording their energy bills) has also grown substantially...Read more
There is growing awareness and evidence of the negative impact cold homes can have on householders’ health and wellbeing. With this in mind, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) commissioned National Energy Action (NEA) to carry out an online survey to catalogue local schemes that...Read more
Fuel poverty has become a more prescient issue in recent years, both due to harsher winters and the economic downturn, which has made heating the home more difficult for many. Fuel poverty is sensitive to energy prices and also has a capital component linked to the energy efficiency of the home...Read more
Extreme weather conditions in urban areas have a serious impact on the quality of life, energy consumption and health of urban citizens. In addition energy poverty has a serious impact on the quality of life of low income households. The aim of the present paper is review the actual housing...Read more
The aim of this research was to explore and understand better the impact of different energy payment methods on the energy use and rationing practices of low-income families with children; and in particular households that use prepayment meters versus those that do not.Read more
This article presents the results of four months of fieldwork among social workers dealing with energy poverty and beneficiaries of social help in Brussels. In-depth interviews were conducted with people for whom gaining access to energy in the home is a problem. This article analyses energy...Read more
Do households cut back on food spending to finance the additional cost of keeping warm during spells of unseasonably cold weather? For households which cannot smooth consumption over time, we describe how cold weather shocks are equivalent to income shocks. We merge detailed household level...Read more
