Recent debate on the social determinants of health has indicated that the unequal distribution of health and well-being in national populations is a major challenge for public health governance. This is equally true for environmental health conditions and for exposure to environmental risk,...Read more
Although significant improvements in energy efficiency have been achieved in home appliances and lighting, the electricity consumption in the European Union household has increased by 2% per year during the past 10 years. Some reasons are associated with an increased degree of basic comfort and...Read more
The diversity of European national contexts considerably complicates the global understanding of the phenomenon of energy poverty. However, this global understanding is a key element of an effective fight against this problem. On one hand, this will make it possible to develop a concrete...Read more
At present, fuel poverty is a developed concept within the United Kingdom and Ireland; however, with the accession of numerous Former Soviet Union countries to the European Union, rising fuel prices, and the move towards a liberalised energy market, we are in a policy environment where fuel...Read more
Since its publication in the early 90s, Brenda Boardman's Fuel Poverty has been the reference text for those wishing to learn about this complex subject. In this, its successor, she turns a critical eye to the new millennium and finds that the situation, while now more widely recognised, is far...Read more
Housing conditions and environmental quality of residential areas are differentially distributed in the population. Less affluent population groups are more often affected by inadequate housing conditions and higher environmental burden in their residential neighbourhoods. A synthesis of the...Read more
European measures are complemented by national and local measures such as energy subsidy schemes which contribute substantially to efficiency improvements. However other measures, intended to promote consumer interests, sometimes have had the opposite effect. For example, retail price...Read more
The prices of electricity, gas and other fuels such as coal are still rising, and this trend looks set to continue in the coming years, which means that, unless swift and effective action is taken, the number of vulnerable energy consumers could also increase markedly. The purpose of this...Read more
The overall objective of this report is to provide an overview of natural gas pricing issues (distribution and retail) in the EC member states and compare them with the European best practice. It analyses tariff levels, tariff and quality regulations and specific treatments for vulnerable...Read more
