A New platform – the E-Room – Set to Tackle Energy Poverty Through Data and Collaboration

A dynamic resource platform has been designed to understand, measure and combat energy poverty. Drawing on the latest research and date, The E-Room, as the platform is known, offers insights into the structural and socioeconomic factors behind energy poverty. These include poor energy efficiency in buildings, labour market inefficiencies, and limited access to financial, social, and informational resources.

Energy poverty is widely acknowledged as a complex, multidimensional issue that requires nuanced metrics and strategies for identification and mitigation. The platform will therefore help inform policy and research in this increasingly pressing issue across Europe.

Understanding Energy Poverty: Metrics and Insights
Energy poverty metrics are categorized into two primary approaches:
Questionnaire-Based: Derived from household surveys on energy use and expenses.
Expenditure-Based: Built on data about household energy spending.
Both approaches highlight that energy efficiency is a key determinant of energy poverty, with thermal efficiency playing a critical role in reducing vulnerability. The E-Room emphasises a multidimensional framework to assess energy poverty, aligned with guidelines from the EU
Energy Poverty Observatory. Indicators are organised into primary and secondary categories, providing a robust methodology for analysis.

Trends in Partner Countries
The E-Room leverages data from Eurostat's Energy and Income and Living Conditions datasets to show trends across SUPER-i partner countries. While the number of homes able to keep warm enough in winter has increased over the past decade in the EU, this figure varies significantly by country:

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  Good progress: Italy and Slovenia.
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  Marginal progress: Belgium.
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  No change: Denmark, Spain, and the UK.

A similar trend is observed in utility bill arrears. Notably, the UK reports nearly twice as many households struggling to keep warm compared to Slovenia, yet Slovenia records three times as many households.

A Call to Action
The E-Room provides a space for stakeholders to access relevant data, share ideas, and collaborate on solutions to mitigate energy poverty. By bridging the gap between research and policy, the platform supports actionable strategies to improve energy efficiency, promote thermal comfort, and address structural inequalities that perpetuate energy poverty.
The E-Room and more information can be found online.

Contacts:

SUPER-i Project coordinator:
Dr. Paola Zerilli - University of York
paola.zerilli@york.ac.uk

Communication Manager for SUPER-i & SUPERSHINE:
Alice de Ferrari : alice.deferrari@icons.it

Project website:
https://super-i-supershine.eu/super-i/about/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/super-i-euproject/

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