The ‘cohesion’ countries of the European Union face intimidating challenges in meeting the greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Luxembourg Agreement. It requires breaking the link between increasing gross domestic product per capita and rising energy consumption at an early stage in the...Read more
There has been considerable concern about the degree of hardship undergone by pre-payment meter (PPM) users who experience gas stoppages due to self-disconnection. In the context of competition in energy supply markets fuel poverty has risen up the political agenda to the extent that the energy...Read more
This study shows that being unable to keep the home warm enough in winter is more strongly associated with health outcomes than is damp housing. However, as cold and damp housing are closely related, it is likely that their combined effects are shown in these results. The importance of worry as...Read more
The primary aim of this study was to analyse the significance of household temperature in determining the amount of potential energy savings taken back in the form of an increase in the comfort temperature following energy efficiency improvements. If the dual goals of energy conservation and...Read more
The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of NHS money to improve health by improving housing conditions. A pilot study assessing health outcomes before and after improving housing conditions was conducted, studying 72 children with previously diagnosed asthma living in 59 damp houses...Read more
Electricite de France, the French monopoly provider of electricity, has been testing a number of new policy instruments to avoid disconnection among its low income customers. This paper uses decentralization, a common feature of social programmes, to identify the impact of Electricite de France'...Read more
Despite the gradual progress in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), a number of obstacles must still be overcome before transition economies can embark fully on the path towards sustainable long-run growth. One of these hurdles is the liberalization of the energy sector...Read more
In the context of retail electric competition, various mechanisms have been proposed to address threats to low-income energy affordability. Most proposals include the use of ratepayer for (a) low income bill payment support (e.g., rate discounts) and/or (b) energy efficiency programs...Read more
The privatization of basic utilities has led to a shift in their status from producers of social goods to traders in commercial commodities. The social policy consequences of this shift have been transferred from the public to the private domain with significant results for poorest con sumers,...Read more
The authors examine the welfare effects of increasing household energy prices in Poland. Their main finding is that the policy of subsidizing household energy prices, common in the transition economies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, is regressive. Such programs do help the poor...Read more
