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Measuring Fuel Poverty: General Considerations and Application to German Household Data

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  • Peter Heindl

Abstract

Indicators of energy affordability and fuel poverty are a powerful tool to identify the most vulnerable households and to avoid imposing excessive burdens by climate policy. Fuel-poverty measurement consists of two independent parts: first, the definition of an appropriate fuel-poverty line, and secondly, techniques to measure fuel poverty. This paper reviews options for the definition of fuel-poverty lines and measurement techniques. Based on household data from Germany, figures that would result from different fuel-poverty lines are derived. The choice of the fuel-poverty line matters decisively for the resulting assessment. Existing fuel-poverty lines should undergo empirical reexamination and then be adapted to the case of Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Heindl, 2015. "Measuring Fuel Poverty: General Considerations and Application to German Household Data," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 71(2), pages 178-215, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(201506)71:2_178:mfpgca_2.0.tx_2-w
    DOI: 10.1628/001522108X14285723527593
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fuel poverty; energy poverty; poverty measurement; Germany; Energiearmut;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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