Characterizing the energy use of disabled people in the European Union towards inclusion in the energy transition

Abstract

Designing environmental policy to take account of social difference is increasingly recognized as essential to address both effectiveness and justice concerns. So far there is limited research on the experiences of disabled people in the environmental literature, amounting to a failure to recognize this substantial constituency. Here we compare disabled households’ embodied energy use, income, risk of poverty and energy poverty, and other socio-demographics with other households in the European Union. We find that households including an economically inactive disabled person earn less and consume 10% less energy than other households, and are more likely to experience energy poverty. Disabled households have lower consumption than other households in most categories, with the exception of basic consumption such as food, energy at home (gas and electricity), water and waste services: in effect they have less—and sometimes inadequate—access to resources. We conclude that more attention should be paid to disabled households needs to ensure a just energy transition.

Being Warm Being Happy: Understanding factors influencing adults with learning disabilities being warm and well at home with inclusive research

“…This research makes an important contribution to the limited evidence base about the nature and experience of fuel poverty amongst adults with learning disabilities. Fuel poverty statistics and other research data often fail to recognise the diversity of disabled people's experiences and lifestyles (see Ivanova and Middlemiss, 2021). Our work provides much needed evidence on the lived experience of people with learning disabilities which adds to the understanding of the way that disability intersects with fuel poverty.…”

“…The link between energy poverty and disability has only received research attention relatively recently (Cronin de Chavez, 2017) with evidence suggesting that disabled people are likely to experience higher rates of energy poverty and have additional energy needs (Snell et al, 2015). Work undertaken by Ivanova and Middlemiss (2021) comparing energy use, income, poverty, and energy poverty amongst disabled households in the EU shows that these households consume around ten per cent less energy than other households, and that they are more likely to experience energy poverty.…”

Overcoming Energy Poverty in Childhood from a Policy Perspective

“…There has been a shift away from viewing energy poor households as homogenous towards recognising the distinct ways in which different households -and different persons within a household -are affected. For instance, research has been conducted on gender, the elderly, single parent households and disabled people [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] , recognising differential impacts and experiences of energy poverty between different members of households.. The discussion on the impact on children and its policy implications is still emerging.…”

“…This paper reveals how, even when specific impacts of energy poverty on children have been acknowledged, there is still a lack of recognition of their differential needs in relation to energy, climate and social policies, with a relevance for energy poverty alleviation. Energy policies targeting children are rare, and when they exist, they tend to place children under the broader category of their family or household unit, even when prior research on energy poverty related to age, gender or disability [6][7][8][9]12,13 demonstrates how every member of a household will be impacted differently.…”

A comprehensive urban programme to reduce energy poverty and its effects on health and wellbeing of citizens in six European countries: study protocol of a controlled trial

“…Those with chronic and severe illnesses, including disabilities, and older people seem to be worst affected [13][14][15]. This is explained by the fact that sedentary or ill people are less able to generate their own heat, spend more time inside their homes, and are more likely to be on low incomes and thus unable to afford adequate energy [11,16,17].…”