Concept and origins
Boardman (1991) systematised UK fuel poverty, where poor households cannot afford adequate warmth, and proposed the rule that a household spending over 10% of income on energy is fuel poor. Bouzarovski and Petrova (2015) offered a framework bridging fuel poverty in rich countries and energy access in poorer ones. It is a form of social exclusion.
Causes and effects
Energy poverty arises from low income, high prices and poorly insulated housing. Healy and Clinch (2004) linked it to poor housing in Ireland. Liddell and Morris (2010) reviewed links between cold homes and respiratory, cardiovascular and mental health problems. Sovacool (2012) highlighted indoor pollution from wood and charcoal and lack of electricity in the Global South.
Measurement and policy
Hills (2012) argued the 10% rule was too sensitive to prices and proposed a low income, high costs indicator. Thomson, Bouzarovski and Snell (2017) found no single European indicator sufficient. Policies include energy vouchers, tariff relief and insulation, and debates over fair climate transitions connect to distributive justice.
FAQ
- What is energy poverty in simple terms?
- Being unable to heat or cool your home adequately because of low income or poor housing.
- What is the 10% rule?
- The traditional UK rule that a household spending over 10% of income on energy is fuel poor.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Boardman, B. (1991). Fuel poverty: From cold homes to affordable warmth. Belhaven Press. The book that systematised fuel poverty and the 10% rule.
- Healy, J. D., & Clinch, J. P. (2004). Quantifying the severity of fuel poverty, its relationship with poor housing and reasons for non-investment in energy-saving measures in Ireland. Energy Policy, 32(2), 207–220. Links fuel poverty to poor housing in Ireland.
- Liddell, C., & Morris, C. (2010). Fuel poverty and human health: A review of recent evidence. Energy Policy, 38(6), 2987–2997. Reviews health effects of cold homes.
- Hills, J. (2012). Getting the measure of fuel poverty: Final report of the Fuel Poverty Review (CASE Report 72). Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics. Reformed the UK fuel poverty measure.
- Sovacool, B. K. (2012). The political economy of energy poverty: A review of key challenges. Energy for Sustainable Development, 16(3), 272–282. Reviews energy access challenges in the Global South.
- Bouzarovski, S., & Petrova, S. (2015). A global perspective on domestic energy deprivation: Overcoming the energy poverty–fuel poverty binary. Energy Research & Social Science, 10, 31–40. Bridges the fuel poverty and energy poverty debates.
- Thomson, H., Bouzarovski, S., & Snell, C. (2017). Rethinking the measurement of energy poverty in Europe: A critical analysis of indicators and data. Indoor and Built Environment, 26(7), 879–901. Critically assesses European indicators.