Assessing the role of energy poverty expertise in exploring energy poverty challenges of young adults

Expertise in the field of energy poverty has developed considerably in France over the last 15 years. Today, expertise plays a crucial role in tackling household energy poverty, as experts are able to identify the main challenges faced by households and provide appropriate solutions. However, it is essential to assess whether the current state of expertise is sufficient to address energy poverty difficulties faced by population groups that have so far been underrepresented in policy approaches. This study investigates whether expertise in the field of energy poverty effectively contributes to understanding and addressing the problem young adults. Existing energy poverty approaches - both in academia and at the policy implementation level – have predominantly focused on population groups that are well known in the field of social policy. These groups include various types of households, particularly elderly people, single person households, families with children, but generally not people who are at the beginning of their adult life. This has resulted in overlooking critical energy poverty dimensions of young adults, including students, who are often experiencing situations of socio-economic precarity as well as precarious housing conditions. This gap raises questions about potential blind spots within energy poverty analysis, particularly concerning how knowledge is produced and whose perspectives are included. By examining the extent to which current energy poverty experts recognize and engage with the challenges faced by young adults, this study aims to assess the alignment between expertise and actual needs of this population. Our research combines a review of the different existing data sources and analyses of the living conditions of this population on the one hand, and expert interviews on the other hand. It focuses on the city of Paris, where students and young adults are particularly exposed to housing affordability problems, which often result in this group being exposed to substandard housing or precarious housing conditions. This allows us to evaluate the scope and limitations of expertise in addressing energy poverty for young adults. Preliminary findings indicate that while experts provide valuable insights, certain epistemic biases and disciplinary silos may limit their ability to fully capture the lived experiences and constraints affecting young adults faced with energy poverty difficulties. The study highlights the need for further research on this population and for the inclusion of diverse knowledge systems to ensure a more comprehensive and equitable approach to better characterize young adults' energy poverty. This research also contributes to ongoing discussions on the role of expertise in shaping research agendas and policies. It underscores the importance of assessing how expert knowledge is generated and applied, particularly when addressing issues affecting marginalized or underrepresented populations.