Energy poverty is a fast rising government agenda in the Global North, and is subject to a substantial academic literature. Energy poverty is experienced when people do not have adequate access to energy services (light, heat, warmth, and cooling) to live a decent life. Plans to transition to a low‐carbon economy in the Global North have raised concerns about the impacts of environmental policy on more vulnerable citizens. A just transition is highly risky for energy poor households, who enter into the transition at a disadvantage. Understanding this starting point is critical in ensuring the energy poor are able to participate in a just transition, and are not subject to further disadvantage. Here, using a realist evaluation approach, I summarize the empirical literature on the experience of energy poverty in the Global North, in doing so characterizing who tends to be vulnerable to this problem, and painting a picture of their life experience. I show how energy poverty links to poverty, and how people from commonly disadvantaged social categories (disabled people, single parents, and people from ethnic minorities) are more likely to experience energy poverty. I describe the homes of people experiencing energy poverty, and their coping practices, as well as outlining the effects of energy poverty on health, social life, and home finances. In conclusion, I point to the weaknesses and gaps in the current literature, and suggest some important avenues of research for the future. This includes bringing energy poverty evidence into more extensive conversation with a just transitions agenda.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/wene.455

Who is vulnerable to energy poverty in the Global North, and what is their experience?

Will energy transition in Poland increase the extent and depth of energy poverty

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.106083

Looking back to look forward: Reflections from networked research on energy poverty

Positive energy district stakeholder perceptions and measures for energy vulnerability mitigation

Energy poverty is emerging as a national agenda in the Netherlands. Local authority leadership and action on this agenda, and European Union reporting requirements around the energy transition have aligned to create an opportunity to establish a national agenda on this issue. Early action on energy poverty by local authorities stemmed from their recognition of the value of addressing environmental, health, social welfare and poverty goals through measures to address the problem. In contrast, the experiences of vulnerable energy consumers have limited recognition in national policy. Meanwhile EU requirements for climate reporting include a specification for measuring and monitoring energy poverty. This growing momentum has resulted in an emerging interest in energy poverty as a means to achieve a just transition at a national level, as reflected in the Dutch National Climate and Energy Plan. In this paper, we profile the case of the Netherlands, and outline the opportunity we see for the development of an energy poverty agenda in national energy transition policy, as part of a multi-level energy governance effort. We report on a national stakeholder workshop that we led, linking the lived experience of energy poverty in the Netherlands with policy solutions. Following the clear call for a national policy in this workshop, we also outline a strategy for engagement with energy poverty in the Netherlands, published recently in a white paper on this topic.

/pdf/humanising-the-energy-transition-towards-a-national-policy-13pkpg36no.pdf

Humanising the Energy Transition: Towards a National Policy on Energy Poverty in the Netherlands

Energy poverty and the energy transition

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Humanising the Energy Transition: Towards a National Policy on Energy Poverty in the Netherlands

Energy poverty and the energy transition