The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel has Commissioned Research

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Panel commissioned Megan Scherrer, former MSc student at the University of Edinburgh and now PhD student at the University of Strathclyde, to undertake a systematic review focused on the unintended consequences of decarbonisation technologies for fuel poverty outcomes. In the reviewed literature there was little mention of the unintended consequences key technologies may have for people in or at risk of fuel poverty, with the only discussion centring on the unaffordability of decarbonisation technology for those in fuel poverty. This is an important research gap which needs to be filled to ensure that fuel poor people are not left behind during the net zero transition.

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Footnotes

1 Dellaccio, O., Dicks, J., et al. (2022). The distributional effects of pathways to net-zero and the implications for fuel and transport poverty

2 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero & Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. (2020). Energy white paper: Powering our net zero future.

3 The databases used were Google with advanced search functions, and ScienceDirect.

4 Includes non-white demographics and minority white demographics (Gypsy/Travellers, non-British white groups)​.

5 National Energy Action. (2023). Written evidence submitted by National Energy Action (HEA0158). UK Parliament.

6 Scottish Government. (2024). Scottish House Condition Survey: 2022 Key Findings.

7 While not explicitly a technology, insulation is a key aspect of retrofitting homes for decarbonisation.

8  Abbasi, M. H., Abdullah, B., et al. (2022). Planning energy interventions in buildings and tackling fuel poverty: Can two birds be fed with one scone? Energy Research & Social Science, 93, 102841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102841

9 National Energy Action. (2023). Written evidence submitted by National Energy Action (HEA0158). UK Parliament.

10 Scott, M., & Powells, G. (2020). Towards a new social science research agenda for hydrogen transitions: Social practices, energy justice, and place attachment. Energy Research & Social Science, 61, 101346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101346

11 Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee. (2022). Decarbonising heat in homes. House of Commons.

12Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee. (2022). Decarbonising heat in homes. House of Commons.

13 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero & Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. (2020). Energy white paper: Powering our net zero future

14 Zhou, Y., Essayeh, C., Darby, S., & Morstyn, T. (2024). Evaluating the social benefits and network costs of heat pumps as an energy crisis intervention. iScience, 27(2), 108854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.108854

15  Carley, S., & Konisky, D. M. (2020). The justice and equity implications of the clean energy transition. Nature Energy, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0641-6

16Simcock, N., Jenkins, K., et al. (2021). Identifying double energy vulnerability: A systematic and narrative review of groups at risk of energy and transport poverty in the global north. Energy Research & Social Science, 82, 102351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.10235

17 Sovacool, B. K., Hook, A., et al. (2019). The whole systems energy injustice of four European low-carbon transitions. Global Environmental Change, 58, 101958.

18 Citizens Advice. (2020). Zero sum: How to prioritize consumer protections to ensure nobody is left behind on the path to net zero.

19Abbasi, M. H., Abdullah, B., et al. (2022). Planning energy interventions in buildings and tackling fuel poverty: Can two birds be fed with one scone? Energy Research & Social Science, 93, 102841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102841

20Best, R., & Sinha, K. (2021). Fuel poverty policy: Go big or go home insulation. Energy Economics, 97, 105195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105195

21  Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. (2021). Heat and Buildings Strategy. HM Government.

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