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 on this increasingly pressing issue across Europe.
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.
Energy poverty metrics are categorised 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.
The E-Room leverages data from Eurostat’s Energy 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:
Good progress: Italy and Slovenia.
Marginal progress: Belgium.
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.
