Fuel poverty in Scotland is currently measured using a definition based on the Boardman ‘10% of income’ conceptualisation of the condition. However, the definition and the metrics used to identify and target fuel poor households are now under review. What is needed is a reconceptualisation of...Read more
Energy poverty, understood as an issue of accessibility of energy resources, as well as the defective access to modern means of ensuring comfort in dwellings, is a widespread phenomenon in the European Union, the post-Communist space being particularly affected by it. In Romania, the phenomenon...Read more
This publication gives a short reflection on the definition, causes and consequences of energy poverty in Spain. The energy transition is depicted as an opportunity to plan a model of society not only more sustainable, but also more democratic, just and equitable.Read more
This publication gives an overview of the process how energy poverty was defined in Austria and the situation and discussions regarding energy poverty in Austria. The effects of different policies (such as liberalisation) and technologies (such as the pre-payment meter) on energy poverty is...Read more
In this article we conceptualise energy use from a capabilities perspective, informed by the work of Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum and others following them. Building on this, we suggest a corresponding definition of energy poverty, as understood in the capabilities space. We argue that such an...Read more
A household is fuel poor when it is unable to afford the level of energy services required to allow its members to live a decent life. From 2010 to 2015, the UK government transformed the politics of fuel poverty, with a new definition (‘Low income, high costs’ or LIHC), indicators and targets....Read more
Fuel poverty is now widely recognised in the UK as a distinct form of social inequality and injustice, but exactly which energy-uses and services should be incorporated into conceptualisations of fuel poverty is rarely discussed explicitly. In this paper, we investigate how different energy-uses...Read more
The European Commission has stated that it does not support a European definition of fuel poverty, and that a common definition would be inappropriate due to the diverse energy contexts found across the European Union. Using official EU policy documents from 2001 to 2014, this paper will...Read more
Access to affordable energy is a core dimension of energy justice, with recent work examining the relation between energy use and well-being in these terms. However, there has been relatively little examination of exactly which energy uses should be considered basic necessities within a given...Read more