An analysis of the determining factors of fuel poverty among students living in the private-rented sector in Europe and its impact on their well-being

Abstract

Existing research suggests that students are an under-reported and undersupported group of the population that frequently lives in fuel poverty. Furthermore, studies show that students do not realize that they live in fuel poor conditions and are rarely recognized as a group vulnerable to fuel poverty. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to understand, evaluate and consequently reveal the experiences of students living in the private-rentedd sector, quantify their possible exposure to fuel poverty, and to determine the impacts of this exposure on their well-being. Three thousand five hundred and twelve students from seven European countries participated in this research making it the largest study to date targeting this specific social group. Our results demonstrate that this group is vulnerable to fuel poverty and that their exposure to such conditions can have a detrimental effect on both their mental and physical health, as well as their social life.

Flexibility poverty: ‘locked-in’ flexibility practices and electricity use among students

“…Previous studies that have focused on young people's energy consumption have looked at energy and at information and communication technologies among youths (Christensen et al 2014;Christensen and Rommes 2019); students living in fuel poverty (Kousis et al 2020;Morris and Genovese 2018); and energy vulnerability (Bouzarovski et al 2013). Scholars have found that students and young people are rarely recognized as a group vulnerable to energy poverty, and many students and young people do not recognize that they live in energy-poor conditions (Bouzarovski et al 2013;Kousis et al 2020). Energy poverty is broadly understood as the inability of households to maintain adequate levels of energy services at an affordable cost, and is caused by the interplay of low incomes, high energy need, and high energy prices (Doukas and Marinakis 2020).…”

Energy Poverty among Tertiary Students in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…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].…”

“…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]. As with other studies of private rental sector landlords [16,25,26], a qualitative study of landlords in seven EU countries found that landlords with properties predominantly leased by students are unlikely to make energy efficiency improvements to their rental housing without financial incentives and regulatory measures.…”

Intra-urban microclimate investigation in urban heat island through a novel mobile monitoring system

“…UHI is a significant human-induced environmental change that poses threats to human life. For instance, increased morbidity and mortality 12 , indoor/outdoor discomfort 13 , air pollution 14 , 15 , increased energy consumption 16 and greenhouse gas emissions 17 , 18 , impaired air and water quality 19 and intensification of energy poverty on vulnerable social groups during the hot months of the year 20 , 21 are just some of UHI consequences that usually are interconnected. Also, UHI is associated with global warming and moreover has been found to synergistically act with heatwaves and amplify their impacts 22 – 24 .…”