A1111
Title: On a fair definition of energy poverty
Authors: Dusana Dokupilova - Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia) [presenting]
Abstract: Energy poverty is a complex problem caused by factors such as low income, high energy expenditures or low energy efficiency of the household (dwelling and appliances). The introduction of measures to reduce the number of households in energy poverty, at the same time as financial resources for such measures are limited, is conditional on a targeted definition that identifies the population groups at risk. There are different approaches to defining the group of people in energy poverty (LIHC, energy expenditure as a percentage of disposable income, etc.) Analyzing individualized data from the housing budget survey combined with field research, it is found that these are not sufficient as there are many households that are not affected by energy poverty and fall into such a group by definition. Or there are households with deep problems, and they are excluded based on the definition. In order to target vulnerable groups as accurately as possible, a new definition is proposed. It is based on the difference between equalized disposable income and energy expenditure, and it is compared to the minimum living wage (based on the national definition).
