Energy Poverty Evaluation Using a Three-Dimensional and Territorial Indicator: A Case Study in Chile

Abstract

Energy poverty (EP) is a problem that affects a large part of the world population, leaving those most vulnerable to suffer from unhealthy indoor conditions in their homes, being cold in winter months, struggling with their monetary situation, and even reducing social activities with relatives. In this context, it is important to assess EP situations and identify those factors that most affect each one. This paper, through the evaluation and adaptation of the Three-dimensional and Territorial Indicator of Energy Poverty (EPITT in Spanish), developed by the Energy Poverty Network in Chile (RedPE Chile), assesses the different EP situations in a social-housing case study located in south-central Chile. The results show different EP situations depending on the dimensions studied, e.g., 35% of households had food and hygiene issues, 27% had issues with lighting and electrical devices, 72% with climate control in the home, and 68% experienced equality in energy expenditure issues. It is possible to say that energy expenditure is the dimension that most influences the EP situation. Furthermore, the values in the different dimensions are below the national average, mainly because of the poor quality of housing, limitations in access to energy, and low income. In conclusion, the adaptation of EPTTI provides a better understanding of EP vulnerability at the local scale.

Energy Inequality Indicators: A Comprehensive Review for Exploring Ways to Reduce Inequality

“…Energy inequality is a global issue that affects a significant portion of the population, particularly vulnerable individuals. Its consequences include unhealthy indoor conditions, inadequate heating during winter months, financial hardships, and limitations on social activities with relatives [26]. The research findings further support the notion that low-income households face heightened levels of energy insecurity.…”

“…Energy inequality has become a significant research topic due to its social, economic, and environmental implications. Researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including social sciences, economics, public policy, and even engineering, are now exploring different aspects of energy inequality, such as the factors that contribute to energy inequality, the economic and social impacts of energy inequality [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], the impact on health [13,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], the impact on vulnerable members of the society [24][25][26][27][28][29], the impact on environmental quality [30][31][32][33][34][35][36], and the policies and strategies that can help to promote energy access and equity. Recent advancements in data collection and analysis have also enabled researchers to better understand the magnitude and distribution of energy inequality across different regions and populations.…”

“…This systematic literature review has identified that various terms are used to address similar aspects of energy inequality (see Figure 1) [17], including energy poverty [9,14,18,20,21,26,32,37], energy insecurity [17,38], fuel poverty [39][40][41][42][43], environmental inequality [34], carbon inequality [44], and environmental degradation [13,31,36]. To achieve the objective of this study, which is to identify energy inequality dimensions and their indicators and explore ways to reduce them, it is crucial to establish a common understanding and terminology.…”

“…It can indeed be argued that energy expenditure is a significant indicator of energy inequality [26,38]. Energy expenditure refers to the amount of money households or individuals allocate towards meeting their energy needs, such as electricity, heating, and transportation fuel.…”

Multidimensional procedure for mapping and monitoring urban energy vulnerability at regional level using public data: Proposal and implementation into a case study in Spain

“…Encinas et al (2022) addressed energy poverty from a spatial approach, evaluating the impact that socioeconomic, urban and climatic variables have on a territorial scale, applying the analysis to the urban area of Santiago de Chile. Pérez-Fargallo et al (2022) evaluated energy poverty situations in a social housing district located in Chile as well, considering three different dimensions and a territorial indicator: food and hygiene issues, lighting and electrical devices related issues, indoor environment control and energy expenditure issues. Murias et al (2020) proposed a synthetic indicator to assess territorial differences in household energy vulnerability, based on four environmental dimensions: energy, residential, physical and socio-economic.…”