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A Territorial Estimate for Household Energy Vulnerability: An Application for Spain

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  • Pilar Murias

    (Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

  • Beatriz Valcárcel-Aguiar

    (Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

  • Rosa María Regueiro-Ferreira

    (Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

Abstract

This paper proposes a composite indicator intended to assess territorial differences in household energy vulnerability. Although the estimation of household energy vulnerability has received less attention in scientific literature than energy poverty, it is a key element for political action as it allows for the diagnosis and subsequent action to tackle potential situations of household poverty before they actually occur. In this sense, the principal contribution of this article is a proposal for a tool designed to quantify the abstract and multidimensional phenomenon of household energy vulnerability. The technique used for constructing this synthetic indicator allows for the participation of stakeholders, especially policy makers, in defining and calculating the index. The synthetic index for energy vulnerability has been estimated for Spanish provinces. The results allow for the creation of a map providing an approximate insight into the spatial distribution of household energy vulnerability in Spain.

Suggested Citation

  • Pilar Murias & Beatriz Valcárcel-Aguiar & Rosa María Regueiro-Ferreira, 2020. "A Territorial Estimate for Household Energy Vulnerability: An Application for Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5904-:d:388114
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Beatriz Valcárcel-Aguiar & Pilar Murias & Alexandre Vecino-Aguirre, 2022. "Liveability Versus Sustainability in Spanish Cities: First Evidences Using Synthetic Indicators," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 1935-1960, August.
    2. Sangeetha Chandrashekeran & Viktoria Noka & Stefan Bouzarovski, 2022. "Energy Poverty: Measurement and Governance in Europe and Lessons for Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(4), pages 491-502, December.
    3. Stefan Bouzarovski & Harriet Thomson & Marine Cornelis, 2021. "Confronting Energy Poverty in Europe: A Research and Policy Agenda," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, February.

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