Energy poverty, housing and health: the lived experience of older low-income Australians

Abstract

Energy poverty (EP) is the product of three main factors ¶ the cost of energy, household income and the energy efficiency of the dwelling. Climate change and rising energy costs are likely to accentuate EP. This study extends our knowledge about EP in Australia and examines its relationship to housing and health. Drawing on 23 semi-structured interviews, we map the impacts of EP on older low-income people residing in Sydney and Melbourne. These impacts include food insecurity, an incapacity to purchase essential consumer items, an inability to afford required medical procedures, thermal discomfort and social exclusion. We found that many interviewees do not recogni ¶ ze their own EP situation or are too ashamed to ask for help. Thus, the overall cost of EP to individuals and the broader society can be far higher than what statistics indicate. The article proposes a conceptuali ¶ zation of the relationship between housing, health and EP drawing on a figure we have created. The severe impacts of EP suggest that measures to lessen it among older vulnerable households are urgently required.

Shockingly cold and electricity-dependent in a rich context: Energy poor households in Norway

“…Our informants report that living in cold dwellings has negative physical health implications such as cold temperatures leading to falling ill, but also second-order challenges like being unable to access sufficient health services [59]. This is consistent with findings from other studies on health and energy poverty -both in terms of general findings but also stronger links between energy poverty and negative health effects being reported from subjective indicators of energy poverty [60,61].…”

“…The more the informants worry about how other people feel, and compromise on material and social needs to scrape by, the more do they tend to feel socially excluded, something that is found also in previous studies [59]. One interviewee felt that she dropped downwards in the social hierarchy by having to depend on others for subsistence: 'I never thought that I'd would end up, having to ask for help to get food.'…”

“…Such feelings may lead to further marginalisation [59]. Having internalised norms of hospitality such as heating for guests, informants feel they must choose between higher energy costs or to spending more time in isolation.…”

Energy Poverty and Health Care Expenditures: Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies

“…At the same time, EP may also affect the consumption of essentials in addition to food. For example, Valente et al (2022) confirm that high energy bills contribute to other essentials such as clothing and hygiene products being out of reach. Non-energy-poor households are found to spend more on food (16.2%) and nonfood (24.3%) items than energy-poor households (Sambodo & Novandra, 2019).…”

“…Non-energy-poor households are found to spend more on food (16.2%) and nonfood (24.3%) items than energy-poor households (Sambodo & Novandra, 2019). The inability to purchase basic items probably results in depression, stress, and anxiety (Valente et al, 2022), and individuals with higher levels of psychological problems, such as anxiety, utilize health care considerably more than those with lower levels (Eastin & Guinsler, 2006). In addition to diagraming the above factors as a simple heuristic of possible channels for the impact of EP on health care expenditures in China (see Figure 1), we formalize the relationship between EP and expenditures on food and other daily necessities as our second hypothesis: Notably, due to data availability, we focus on only these two underlying pathways.…”