Energy Poverty and Vulnerability A Global Perspective

Human health and well being are closely intertwined with the ability to access affordable and modern domestic energy services, including heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, and information technology. Energy poverty is said to occur when such amenities cannot be secured up to a socially- and physically- necessitated level. Millions of people across the world suffer from energy poverty due to a combination of financial, social and technical circumstances. Energy Poverty and Vulnerability provides novel and critical perspectives on the drivers and consequences of energy-related injustices in the home. Drawing together original research conducted by leading experts, the book offers fresh and innovative insights into the ways in which hitherto unexplored factors such as cultural norms, environmental conditions and household needs combine to shape vulnerability to energy poverty. Case studies from a wide range of countries are presented, thus providing the first globally-integrated account of a policy and research domain that has previously been divided between the Global South and North. An examination of the diverse manifestations of energy poverty is supplemented by an identification of this condition’s shared and context-specific causes. Conveying policy-relevant insights that can inform decision-making, this book can be of great interest to students and scholars of energy demand, social justice, and sustainability transitions, as well as decision-makers and practitioners who wish to find out more about this complex issue.

Introduction Stefan Bouzarovski, Neil Simcock, Harriet Thomson, and Saska Petrova Energy poverty in an intersectional perspective: On multiple deprivation, discriminatory systems and the effects of policies Katrin Großmann and Antje Kahlheber Understanding energy poverty through the energy cultures framework Fatima McKague, Rob Lawson, Michelle Scott, and Ben Wooliscroft Transcending the triad: Political distrust, local cultural norms and reconceptualising the drivers of domestic energy poverty in the UK Irena L.C. Connon Post-apartheid spatial inequalities and the built environment: drivers of energy vulnerability for the urban poor in South Africa Abigail J. Knox, Jiska R. De Groot, and Nthabi Mohlakoana Water-energy nexus vulnerabilities in China: Infrastructures, policies, practices Alison Browne, Saska Petrova, and Beth Brockett Rethinking energy deprivation in Athens: a spatial approach Evangelia Chatzikonstantinou and Fereniki Vatavali Location, location, location: What accounts for the regional variation of energy poverty in Poland? Maciej Lis, Agata Miazga, and Katarzyna Salach Multiple vulnerabilities? Interrogating the spatial distribution of energy poverty measures in England Caitlin Robinson, Stefan Bouzarovski, and Sarah Lindley The triple-hit effect of disability and energy poverty: a qualitative case study of painful sickle cell disease and cold homes Anna Cronin de Chavez The value of experience: including young people in energy poverty research Kimberley C. O’Sullivan, Helen Viggers, and Philippa Howden-Chapman Energy poverty in the Western Balkans: adjusting policy responses to socio-economic drivers Slavica Robic, Ivana Rogulj, and Branko Ancic Lighting up rural Kenya: Lessons learnt from rural electrification programmes Dorice Agol Urban Energy Poverty: South Africa’s policy response to the challenge Peta Wolpe and Yachika Reddy ConclusionsNeil Simcock, Harriet Thomson, Saska Petrova, and Stefan Bouzarovski

Neil Simcock is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester, UK Harriet Thomson is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester, UK. Saska Petrova is a Lecturer in the School of Environment, Education and Development at the University of Manchester, UK Stefan Bouzarovski is Professor at the Department of Geography and Director of the Collaboratory for Urban Resilience and Energy at the University of Manchester, UK.