Health and social outcomes of housing policies to alleviate fuel poverty

Poortinga, Wouter

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816952-0.00010-7

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…It has been acknowledged that prolonged exposure to poor housing conditions can generate physical and mental disorders, increase the spread of infectious diseases [180], and reduce social well-being [181]. Adequate affordable homes should provide security, protection from domestic injuries, an acceptable level of indoor quality, and shelter from outdoor temperatures, dust, insects, rodents, and noise.…”

Section: Matter Of Concern 3: Unhealthy Living Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Identifying the Barriers Hindering the Sustainable Design and Construction of Affordable Homes

Reid

2023

Sustainability

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Despite the commitment of the United Nations (UN) to provide everyone with equal access to basic services, the construction sector still fails to reach the production capacity and quality standards which are needed to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable homes. Whilst innovation measures are urgently needed to address the existing inefficiencies, the identification and development of the most appropriate solutions require a comprehensive understanding of the barriers obstructing the design and construction phase of affordable housing. To identify such barriers, an exploratory data mining analysis was conducted in which agglomerative hierarchical clustering made it possible to gather latent knowledge from 3566 text-based research outputs sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus. The analysis captured 83 supply-side barriers which impact the efficiency of the value chain for affordable housing provision. Of these barriers, 18 affected the design and construction phase, and after grouping them by thematic area, seven key matters of concern were identified: (1) design (not) for all, (2) homogeneity of provision, (3) unhealthy living environment, (4) inadequate construction project management, (5) environmental unsustainability, (6) placemaking, and (7) inadequate technical knowledge and skillsets. The insights which resulted from the analysis were seen to support evidence-informed decision making across the affordable housing sector. The findings suggest that fixing the inefficiencies of the affordable housing provision system will require UN Member States to accelerate the transition towards a fully sustainable design and construction process. This transition should prioritize a more inclusive and socially sensitive approach to the design and construction of affordable homes, capitalizing on the benefits of greater user involvement. In addition, transformative actions which seek to deliver more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly homes should be promoted, as well as new investments in the training and upskilling of construction professionals.

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Section: Matter Of Concern 3: Unhealthy Living Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Identifying the Barriers Hindering the Sustainable Design and Construction of Affordable Homes

Reid

2023

Sustainability

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“…This woman in her role/collectivity of being unemployed and through lack of money and food was reduced to remaining in bed to stay warm. While her health problems were not specified, it is fair to speculate that interacting causes and effects of energy poverty and poor mental and physical health are likely exacerbated when people are isolated and confined in such a way (Poortinga 2019). As resources there is the broken boiler, which led to the woman to using a fan heater and hot-water bottle, both less efficient and more expensive forms of heating, thus compounding the problems.…”

Section: Organisational Energy Poverty Case Study Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Can liberalised electricity markets deliver on climate change and energy poverty? Evidence from community projects in Great Britain

et al. 2022

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This paper reports on tensions between decarbonisation and energy poverty priorities in Great Britain's liberalised electricity markets. Switching electricity suppliers in this market can result in significant benefits for those on bad deals. Further benefits are determined by the regulator. However, many of the energy poor lack the capabilities to switch and access these benefits. Community organisations play an important role in providing such access through remedial action. Using the capabilities approach, this paper combines quantitative and qualitative organisational data analysis at a community level to reveal an increasing share of the population who could benefit from switching and who agree to switching. At the same time, eligibility for one-off discounts on electricity bills to support the energy poor has increased sharply in recent years. This data points towards climate mitigation policies and market structures which benefit wealthier groups at the expense of more deprived groups who lack capabilities. At the micro scale, data access and intermediation at various levels and scales can help support more targeted interventions that facilitate well-being and enhanced capabilities. At the macro level, liberalised retail electricity markets need to be accommodated by safety nets and supportive institutional arrangements to avoid competitive pressures translating into complexity and opacity for consumers. Failure to equitably address capability conflicts, also framed as energy justice tensions and trade-offs, risks reinforcing and creating new injustices.

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“…Fuel poverty is a persistent issue in the UK which affects approximately 11% of households [1,2]. Fuel poverty is driven by energy inefficient housing, low incomes, and high fuel prices and causes financial, health and social consequences for vulnerable people [3][4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tackling fuel poverty through household advice and support: Exploring the impacts of a charity-led project in a disadvantaged city in the United Kingdom

Ramsden

2020

Energy Research & Social Science

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This article explores the impacts of a charity project which aimed to help people vulnerable to fuel poverty improve their energy efficiency and reduce energy costs, through providing energy monitors and advice at a household-level. The research makes an important contribution to emerging but scarce research on how charities can help households vulnerable to fuel poverty. Interviews were conducted with 40 participants and 32 participants described how the project helped them (through one or a combination of the following): reduce inefficient energy use; switch tariffs; change from pre-payment meters; apply for subsidies for vulnerable people; and/ or improve their confidence to manage their household energy needs. Nineteen of the participants were vulnerable to fuel poverty and fifteen of these estimated that the project helped them save money. While achieving financial savings was the key motivation for participants, 15 households described that they participated in the project to reduce their CO2 emissions. However, the approach was limited and the impacts could have been increased through energy audits, property-level energy efficiency improvements, and support to raise issues with housing providers. The research argues that household-level face-to-face advice and support can help people vulnerable to fuel poverty and charities can operate effectively in a space between the government, energy companies, local authorities and households to provide this support. However, charities need access to technical expertise, reflexive funding, and effective coordination with local authorities to improve their long-term impact.

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Health and social outcomes of housing policies to alleviate fuel poverty

Cited by 3 publications

References 59 publications

Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Identifying the Barriers Hindering the Sustainable Design and Construction of Affordable Homes

Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Identifying the Barriers Hindering the Sustainable Design and Construction of Affordable Homes

Can liberalised electricity markets deliver on climate change and energy poverty? Evidence from community projects in Great Britain

Tackling fuel poverty through household advice and support: Exploring the impacts of a charity-led project in a disadvantaged city in the United Kingdom

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