Coping with Energy Poverty: Measurements, Drivers, Impacts, and Solutions

Abstract

Energy is required for socioeconomic development, and the world’s energy needs have significantly increased in the last decades. The lack of energy can have severe impacts on a person’s well-being; therefore, energy access should be ensured for everyone in the world. Energy poverty usually refers to a situation where a household cannot be kept adequately warm, but it is a complex issue with many more aspects. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the energy poverty problem, particularly presenting various definitions given in the literature that capture the multi-dimensional nature of the problem and analyzing the different ways of measuring energy poverty (expenditure approach and consensual approach). In addition, the impacts of the problem are identified, including health, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts, as well as the drivers that can worsen energy poverty conditions, such as several household characteristics and various socioeconomic and environmental factors. The situation occurring currently in the world is also presented, including studies that focus on different world regions, and the different solutions that can help address the problem are discussed, including changes to the living environments and the use of new technologies.

Medium- and High-Tech Export and Renewable Energy Consumption: Non-Linear Evidence from the ASEAN Countries

“…Expanding the study to cover more countries in a longer time period would provide a more comprehensive picture of the effect of medium-and high-tech export on renewable energy use. Last, we are unable to undertake a measurement uncertainty analysis [99]. These issues should be themes for future studies.…”

Energy Poverty and Sustainable Economic Development: An Exploration of Correlations and Interdependencies in European Countries

“…Situations related to the lack of funds for payments create a kind of loop, constantly worsening the situation of households. In general, the socioeconomic consequences of energy poverty relate to economic development in both the short and long term, reducing productivity in the agricultural sector, preventing socioeconomic progress, or negatively affecting the education of children and young people [36]. Lack of funds for energy charges, or the lack of funds for necessary repairs caused by energy poverty-this situation, unfortunately, often loops from year to year-causes more problems.…”

“…Their interpretation should be carried out jointly. Approaches to measuring fuel poverty can be divided into two; it is, for example, often suggested in the literature that measurement can be performed based either on an expenditure or a consensual approach [36]. However, the exact definition of fuel poverty depends on the measurement technique [37].…”

Differences in the Domestic Energy Consumption in Hungary: Trends between 2006–2017

“…The common denominator of the several definitions is that energy-poor people and households do not have access to enough energy to meet their basic needs (keep their homes warm, properly lit, etc.) [4].…”

“…Consequently, the most important area of research on the chances, possibilities and costs of access to energy has become the study of the context and explanation of energy poverty. There is no consensus, i.e., a general definition regarding energy poverty; there are several approaches as to how it is to be measured [4,6]. The measurement tools used to determine energy poverty are divided into two basic groups-Expenditure-based Approach and Consensual Approach.…”