Energy affordability in the EU: The risks of metric driven policies

Deller, David (2018) Energy affordability in the EU: The risks of metric driven policies. Energy Policy, 119. 168–182. ISSN 0301-4215

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Abstract

This paper provides a pan-EU mapping of energy affordability using energy expenditure shares. Large variations in energy expenditure shares are identified, with the shares being significantly higher in New Member States than the EU15. First, these variations indicate that a single expenditure-based pan-EU fuel poverty metric is problematic; there is a trade-off between a metric identifying households in most need within individual Member States and one identifying households in a similar position across Member States. Second, household-level data from the UK, France and the Republic of Ireland are used to simulate the impact of ‘policy interventions’, involving energy expenditure reductions or income increases, on the recorded rate of fuel poverty. These simulations highlight that emphasising high-level fuel poverty metrics may distort policymakers’ choices towards improving the ‘picture’ of fuel poverty rather than maximising welfare improvements. Robust impact assessments identifying the fuel poverty interventions which deliver the greatest welfare increases for a given cost offer a better means of policy evaluation.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	fuel poverty,energy affordability,expenditure shares,sdg 7 - affordable and clean energy ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/affordable_and_clean_energy
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Competition Policy Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Responsible Business Regulation Group
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2018 16:30
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2024 13:19
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66508
DOI:	10.1016/j.enpol.2018.03.033

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