Professor Stefan Bouzarovski has extensive professional experience in providing expert advice on, and analysis of, urban environmental and energy insecurity and justice, energy efficiency, and transitions to sustainability across the world, as part of more than 60 projects funded by research councils and other charitable, private and government bodies.

In 2019, he was named an ‘Ordinary Hero’ in the European Commission’s EU Protects campaign for his efforts to combat global energy poverty and reduce social inequality. In 2021, his research was shortlisted for a Times Higher Education award as well as a Falling Walls prize. He has been awarded the Jim Lewis prize (in 2018), the Energies prize (in 2022), as well as the Energy and Buildings prize (in 2023) for his work on energy poverty.

In this Expert Talk, Bouzarovski highlights the need for broad and inclusive definitions of energy poverty, warning that limiting the concept to income thresholds risks overlooking many households living in inefficient homes. He stresses that renovation programmes must be accessible from the outset, noting that those who are already better resourced are often the first to benefit from support schemes.

He also points to the importance of addressing territorial inequalities. Neighbourhoods facing long-term deprivation, he argues, should be actively included in renovation policies through stronger local structures and intermediaries.

While recognising growing political attention to energy poverty across the EU, Bouzarovski underlines that significant gaps remain, particularly in governance and long-term coordination between national and local levels.

The BUILD UP Expert Talks series is an initiative of the BUILD UP portal and features face-to-face interviews with experts from across Europe, offering diverse perspectives on key topics related to energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings. These interviews align with the Topic of the Month and explore it in depth, providing valuable insights, experiences and expertise to the BUILD UP audience.