A multi-sourced data based framework for assisting utilities identify energy poor households: a case-study in Greece

ABSTRACT

This study introduces a framework that assists utilities effectively identify energy poor households among their clients. The framework is established upon an enhanced version of the well-known 10% measurement index, being adjusted by a set of weather-driven, income-oriented, and energy-oriented variables so that more accurate, indicative, and objective results are automatically derived through multi-sourced data. The proposed framework differs from the common, income-based ones, as well as other approaches that integrate information about the particularities of the households and their occupants, in a sense that it deconstructs energy poverty into its two core components, namely energy and income, and examines them jointly. The proposed framework is demonstrated in the region of Attica, Greece, exploiting a large dataset of households that use natural gas as a primary heating energy source. The results highlight the strengths of the proposed method, indicating also some of its limitations.

KEYWORDS:

• Energy poverty
• 10% measure
• heating degree days
• income
• Greece

Acknowledgment

Part of the work presented is based on research conducted within the project “Connecting Obligated Parties to Adopt Innovative Schemes towards Energy Poverty Alleviation (SocialWatt)”, which has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-2020 under grant agreement n° 845905. The content of the paper is the sole responsibility of its authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-2020 [845905].