FPRN bulletin – 13th June 2023


13 June 2023

Welcome to our email bulletin.

The FPRN email bulletin is a semi-regular email highlighting a handpicked selection of recently published research and other knowledge outputs in the area of fuel/energy poverty from around the world. The aim is to share this emerging knowledge more widely and to help generate discussion across the network.

If you have any issues accessing the below articles, or you have articles, research or other information we could share, please contact newsletter@fuelpovertyresearch.net

Recent webinar: Smart homes & fuel poverty in Australia: improving outcomes or locking in vulnerabilities? Click here for the video.

Health gains from home energy efficiency measures: The missing evidence in the UK net-zero policy debate (ScienceDirect)
A.J. Kearns; M. Bhagat; D. Rae; A. McGonigle; E. Caldow; L. Marquis; C. Dove (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

This study examined the health gains from a programme of external wall insulation works to homes in south-west Scotland, and in particular the impact upon hospitalisations for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. The authors present evidence and discussion for achieving the net-zero goals in the UK including that a weak policy commitment to energy efficiency could be strengthened with further evidence of the cost-savings and reduced hospital bed demand resulting from insulations works.

Energy poverty and food insecurity: Is there an energy or food trade-off among low-income Australians? (ScienceDirect)
Jane M. Fry; Lisa Farrell; Jeromey B. Temple (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

This study investigates the energy or food trade-off among low-income people in Australia using a longitudinal population-representative data set. For those in poverty, the authors find a 1% increase in the relative price of electricity increases energy expenditure by 0.37% but has no significant effect on food expenditure but that is not the case for those who are more broadly low-income.

Handbook on Energy Justice (website)
Edited by Stefan Bouzarovski; Sara Fuller; Tony Reames (2023)
 Other 

This new edited book offers a unique and critical perspective on energy justice. Covering key topics including generation, transmission, distribution and demand, it explores fundamental questions surrounding policy, climate change, security and social movements.

Cold homes in Australia: Questioning our assumptions about prevalence (ScienceDirect)
Cynthia Faye Barlow; Lyrian Daniel; Emma Baker (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

In this paper, the authors explore the prevalence of cold in Australian homes, which has been estimated to be around 5%. However, using indoor temperature data from 100 homes across different climate zones, it was found that 81% were below 18 °C on average across the whole of winter (June–August 2022).

A decade of fuel poverty in England: A spatio-temporal analysis of needs-based targeting of domestic energy efficiency obligations (ScienceDirect)
Paul Bridgen; Caitlin Robinson (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

The authors evaluated how the distribution of relatively high levels of fuel poverty have changed over time across Local Authorities in England. Using spatio-temporal quantitative methods, relative energy affluence and relative energy deprivation are revealed to be spatially persistent and temporally entrenched which raises implications for energy efficiency obligations as tools for targeting interventions towards households in fuel poverty.

Also, check out our special issue of the journal People, Policy and Place on Decarbonisation and Energy Poverty.

This email newsletter is produced by the Fuel Poverty Research Network. For more news and events visit our website.