Alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in private rented accommodation: The role of the housing provider

Abstract

Students are often described as an under-reported and under-supported group of the population falling into energy poverty. Although the main drivers of energy poverty are well documented, up to this date little attention is given to housing tenure as a cause of energy poverty. This study aims to support the understanding of the motivations and barriers faced by property owners that rent accommodation to students for making energy efficiency improvements to their rented properties. With this understanding recommendations for alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in the private rented sector can be formulated. The research conducted is based on qualitative methods; focus group discussions and interviews. Data were collected from almost 30 student landlords in seven EU countries between October 2017 and January 2018. Findings show that grants and financial incentives are key for the questioned proprietors to move to energy efficiency improvements of their property but bureaucracy burdens are a major barrier for moving forward with them. In addition, the need for stronger information campaigns on energy efficiency issues is revealed. Eventually, a number of financial, consumer protection, energy efficiency and informational measures for alleviating energy poverty experienced by students living in private rented accommodation are proposed.

Determinants of the Energy Poverty of Polish Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The actions heading towards providing better insulation for buildings rented to students will be beneficial for the process of curtailing the energy poverty of students. The studies conducted among the landlords renting apartments to students in seven EU countries showed that grants and financial incentives are pivotal in convincing landlords to make investments in this area [58].…”

Energy Poverty among Tertiary Students in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…Our findings closely align with the existing international literature. European [22,23] and Japanese studies [24] have shown that tertiary students are at greater risk compared to the general population, with poor housing conditions, particularly in the private rental sector, driving this difference [19,22]. Internationally there is a recognised need for regulation to encourage energy efficiency improvements in the private rental sector [16,25,26]; our study shows that better regulation is needed in New Zealand too.…”

“…Studies exploring energy poverty among tertiary student population groups in England [19][20][21], Europe [22,23], and Japan [24] have confirmed that tertiary students are at greater risk compared to the general population. Poor housing conditions, particularly in the private rental sector, contribute to adverse mental and health outcomes among tertiary students [19,22].…”

Resilience and Economic Intelligence Through Digitalization and Big Data Analytics

“…At the same time, the phenomenon of energy poverty is observed either in the form of insufficient access to energy services for developing countries or in the form of excessive energy costs in relation to the disposable income of households in developed countries (Nussbaumer et al, 2012). Although the main drivers of energy poverty are well documented, up to this date little attention has been given to students as a vulnerable group affected by energy poverty (Kousis et al, 2020); student energy poverty is often under-reported and under-supported (Ntouros et al, 2019). Thus, the adoption of environmentally conscious behaviour among university students as a result of informative campaigns, coupled with educational programs aiming to promote energy saving lifestyles and environmental consciousness to students, contributes significantly to energy saving, alleviates exposure to energy poverty and paves the way for decarbonization (Tsagarakis et al, 2011).…”