FPRN bulletin – 3rd March 2023


2 March 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

Damp, cold and full of mould (pdf)
Connie Thorn; Tilly Cook (2023)
 Report  Open Access 

This report explores the widespread problems with damp, mould and cold, driven by the poor energy efficiency of privately rented homes across the private rental sector in England. The research found significant issues with poor quality housing and resulting impacts on households. A number of recommendations for policy are explored.

As essential as bread: Fuelwood use as a cultural practice to cope with energy poverty in Europe (ScienceDirect)
Ana Stojilovska; Dušana Dokupilová; João Pedro Gouveia; Anna Zsófia Bajomi; Sergio Tirado-Herrero; Nóra Feldmár;, Ioanna Kyprianou; Mariëlle Feenstra (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

This paper explores the use of fuelwood for coping with energy poverty based on the lived experience of energy-vulnerable households in five diverse European countries (Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and North Macedonia). The research identifies that the use of fuelwood is embedded in cultural practices with three stages of coping behaviour discussed.

Looking back to look forward: Reflections from networked research on energy poverty (pdf)
George Jiglau; Stefan Bouzarovski; Ute Dubois; Marielle Feenstra; João Pedro Gouveia; Katrin Grossmann; Rachel Guyet; Sergio Tirado Herrero; Marlies Hesselman; Slavica Robic; Siddharth Sareen; Anca Sinea; Harriet Thomson (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

In this paper the authors use a mixed methods approach to review fuel poverty research and policy development. Following this, the paper puts forward pathways toward a new, interdisciplinary research and policy agenda.

Combining self-reported and sensor data to explore the relationship between fuel poverty and health well-being in UK social housing (ScienceDirect)
Gengyang Tu; Karyn Morrissey; Richard Sharpe; Tim Taylor (2022)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

Linking novel real-time sensor data with comprehensive individual baseline survey data, this study estimates the effect of fuel poverty on the physical and mental health of social housing tenants in the southwest of the UK. Analysis finds that fuel poverty has a significant negative effect on mental health and results suggest that attention should be paid to tenants with disabilities and chronic diseases since they are more vulnerable to fuel poverty and health issues.

Just transition: Energy poverty policies and gender equality in Europe. A cross-national analysis of gender mainstreaming in energy poverty policies (pdf)
Jessica Hagenmaier (2023)
 Academic Paper  Open Access 

This thesis applies three important dimensions of energy justice to identify key policy elements to evaluate considerations of gender across three locations: the UK, France, and the Netherlands. In addition to providing evidence for how these locations are dealing with gender within energy poverty policies, a case study of best practice tackling energy poverty in a gender-aware way is presented.

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.