Reviewing the EU policy nexus of energy efficiency and social policy

This paper aims to analyse how the European Union (EU) energy policy has merged social policy concepts with energy efficiency policy. Energy efficiency has increasingly become understood through social policy concepts such as energy poverty, energy inequality, and lack of cohesion. Previous research has shown how the social aspects of energy efficiency have been highlighted by the European Commission when talking about the multiple benefits of energy efficiency increasing efforts, such as renovating buildings. Using a mixed-method approach with material from the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament we review energy policy from a social policy perspective. Our analysis is done in two steps: (i) identifying which of the EU institutions acted as an agenda-setter introducing the social aspects of energy efficiency, and (ii) describing and analysing the framing process of merging social concepts with energy policy. We do this through qualitative and quantitative analysis of EU policy documents. A range of key words are utilized to explore the links between social policy and energy policy as part of the quantitative part of the analysis. We conclude that social aspects are first connected to the energy policy field by the European Parliament. The established connection is then reinforced by the Commission by the inclusion of social policy aspects, mainly in the policy on the transition to energy efficiency and zero-carbon buildings, where concepts such as energy poverty become central.