What counts as 'required' energy? Principles of need in modelling the extent of fuel poverty

Abstract

Official definitions of fuel poverty refer to the ‘required’ level of energy consumption that households should be able to afford. The modelling that generates statistics on the number and distribution of fuel poor households depends on calculating expenditure on heating, lighting, appliances, cooking and water heating across the country’s households. Our research examined the principles underlying these calculations, looking at how ‘requirement’ is specified and whether this is based on a fixed definition of need, or on norms that shift over time