Harriet Thomson

Rethinking the measurement of energy poverty in Europe: a critical analysis of indicators and data

Energy poverty – which has also been recognised via terms such as ‘fuel poverty’ and ‘energy vulnerability’ – occurs when a household experiences inadequate levels of energy services in the home. Measuring energy poverty is challenging, as it is a culturally sensitive and private condition, which is temporally and spatially dynamic. This is compounded by the limited availability of appropriate data and indicators, and lack of consensus on how energy poverty should be conceptualised and measured. Statistical indicators of energy poverty are an important and necessary part of the research and policy landscape. They carry great political weight, and are often used to guide the targeting of energy poverty measures – due to their perceived objectivity – with important consequences for both the indoor and built environment of housing. Focussing on the European Union specifically, this paper critically assesses the available statistical options for monitoring energy poverty, whilst also presenting options for improving existing data. This is examined through the lens of vulnerability thinking, by considering the ways in which policies and institutions, the built fabric and everyday practices shape energy use, alongside the manner in which energy poor households experience and address the issue on a day-to-day basis.

Excess winter deaths in 30 European countries 1980–2013: a critical review of methods

Background: Extreme temperatures (both excess heat and excess cold) are associated with elevated mortality risk. Methods and Results: This paper 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 which are associated with this generic estimation method: it yields relatively accurate estimates of the actual public health impacts of cold temperatures in only 2 of 30 European countries. This is an issue of concern, given the prominent role of excess winter deaths monitoring in public health policymaking and research. An alternative estimation method is proposed, based on heating degree days, which could yield more accurate estimations of the public health implications of cold weather in Europe, and how these vary across different countries. Conclusions: Further research is needed to scrutinise core assumptions underlying EWD methodology, particularly as to whether it has equal validity for estimating public health impacts across the widely diverse climatic conditions which prevail across Europe. In the mean time, given data on heating degree days are freely available for European countries, it is recommended that this approach replace the conventional methodology.

Health, Well-Being and Energy Poverty in Europe: A Comparative Study of 32 European Countries

Despite growing pan-European interest in and awareness of the wide-ranging health and well-being impacts of energy poverty—which is characterised by an inability to secure adequate levels of energy services in the home—the knowledge base is largely British-centric and dominated by single-country studies. In response, this paper investigates the relationship between energy poverty, health and well-being across 32 European countries, using 2012 data from the European Quality of Life Survey. We find an uneven concentration of energy poverty, poor health, and poor well-being across Europe, with Eastern and Central Europe worst affected. At the intersection of energy poverty and health, there is a higher incidence of poor health (both physical and mental) amongst the energy poor populations of most countries, compared to non-energy poor households. Interestingly, we find the largest disparities in health and well-being levels between energy poor and non-energy poor households occur within relatively equal societies, such as Sweden and Slovenia. As well as the unique challenges brought about by rapidly changing energy landscapes in these countries, we also suggest the relative deprivation theory and processes of social comparison hold some value in explaining these findings.

Energy Vulnerability in the Grain of the City: Toward Neighborhood Typologies of Material Deprivation

Geographers are increasingly engaging with the driving forces and implications of energy poverty—a specific but relatively unknown form of material deprivation that emerges at the nexus of sociodemographic inequalities and built formations. In this article, we argue that an improved understanding of the urban embeddedness of energy poverty can provide novel insights into the systemic underpinnings of injustice. We thus develop a conceptual framework focusing on the links between the sociodemographic and housing vulnerabilities to energy poverty on the one hand and wider patterns of urban social inequality on the other. This approach is applied to the study of several postcommunist cities in eastern and central Europe (ECE), where energy poverty has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. Using evidence from extensive custom-built neighborhood surveys, we interrogate the sociodemographic, housing, and infrastructural features of households that experience a lack of adequate domestic energy services. Our results point to the existence of distinct landscapes and typologies of energy vulnerability in the urban fabric. Material deprivation—a phenomenon that has rarely been studied in infrastructural terms—creates new sociospatial inequalities that might supplant patterns and processes of intraurban differentiation.