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Fuel Poverty: Socioeconomic and political aspects
J. PARAVANTIS 173
cupants (very strong influence), household income (very strong correlation), building
type, construction age, floor area, household heating patterns and living room tem-
perature.21 Most of the existing data on cold homes are from the UK, Ireland, and other
northern countries where several studies have been carried out and many policies ap-
plied to improve the problem. As mentioned by Santamouris et al., 22 most of the ex-
perimental studies carried out in Northern Europe and the UK have found that indoor
temperatures in low-income houses are low and often inadequate for human comfort,
with problems of internal condensation, mold and dampness found in elevated parts
of buildings. 23 In some cases, very low temperatures have been found, which put the
health of human beings at risk.24
Fuel poverty in Greece is a serious problem. Healy and Clinch25 estimated fuel pover-
ty in the country to vary between 24.6 and 36%. Based on the criteria proposed by
21. Department of the Environment (DOE), English house condition survey 1991: Energy report. London:
DOE, 1996. Whyley, C. and Callender, C., Fuel poverty in Europe: evidence from the European house-
hold panel survey . London: Policy Studies Institute, 1997. Braun, F., Determinants of households’ space
heating type: A discrete choice analysis for German households. Energy Policy, 2010, 38, 5493–5503.
EU Fuel Poverty Network, Fuel poverty in Spain .
spain, accessed on 04/2013, 2012. Santamouris, M., Kapsis, K., Korres, D., Livada, I., Pavlou, C. and
Assimakopoulos, M. N., On the relation between the energy and social characteristics of the residential
sector. Energy and Buildings, 2007, 39, 893-905.
22. Santamouris, M., Alevizos, S. M., Aslanoglou, L., Mantzios, D., Milonas, P., Sarelli, I., Karatasou, S.,
Cartalis, K. and Paravantis, J. A., Freezing the poor – indoor environmental quality in low and very low
income households during the winter period in Athens. Energy and Buildings, 2014, 70, 61-70.
23. Hunt, D. R. G. and Gidman, M. I., A national field survey of house temperatures. Building and
Environment, 1982, 17(2), 107-124. Burholt, V. and Windle, G., Keeping warm? Self-reported housing
and home energy efficiency factors impacting on older people heating homes in North Wales. Energy
Policy, vol. 34, 2006, pp. 1198-1208. Oreszczyn, T., Hong, S. H., Ridley, I. and Wilkinson, P., Determinants
of winter indoor temperature in low income households in England. Energy and Buildings, 2006, 38,
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Milton Keynes Energy Park revisited: Changes in internal temperatures and energy usage. Energy and
Buildings, 2007, 39, 783-791 Short, N. and Rugkasa, J., “The walls were so damp and cold”. Fuel poverty
and ill health in Northern Ireland: Results from a housing intervention. Health and Place, 2007, 13, 99-
110. Hong, S. H., Gilbertson, J., Oreszczyn, T., Green, G., Ridley, I. and the Warm Front Study Group, A
field study of thermal comfort in low-income dwellings in England before and after energy efficient re-
furbishment. Building and Environment, 2009, 44, 1228-1236. Hutchinson, E., Wilkinson, P., Hong, S. H.,
Oreszczyn, T. and the Warm Front Study Group, Can we improve the identi ķcation of cold homes for tar-
geted home energy-efficiency improvements? Applied Energy, 2006, 83, 1198-1209. Yohanis, Y. G. and
Mondol, J. D., Annual variation of temperature in a sample of UK dwellings. Applied Energy, 2010, 87(2),
681-690. Critchley, R., Gilbertson, J., Grimsley, M. and Green, G., Living in cold homes after heating im-
provements: Evidence from Warm-Front, England’s Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. Applied Energy,
2007, 84, 147-158. Zavadskas, E., Raslanas, S. and Kaklauskas, A., The selection of effective retro ķt
scenarios for panel houses in urban neighborhoods based on expected energy savings and increase in
market value: The Vilnius case. Energy and Buildings, 2008, 40, 573-587. Holgersson, M. and Norlen,
U., Domestic indoor temperatures in Sweden. Building and Environment , 1984, 19(2), 121-131. Kavgic,
M., Summerķeld, A., Mumovic, D., Stevanovic, Z. M., Turanjanin, V. and Stevanovic, Z. Z., Characteristics
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space heating energy demand. Energy and Buildings, 2012, 47, 506-514.
24. Böhnke, P., First European quality of life survey: Life satisfaction, happiness and sense of belonging.
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, Ireland, 2003.
25. Healy, D. and Clinch, J. P., Fuel poverty in Europe – A cross-country analysis using a new composite
measurement. ESRS 02/04, Environmental Studies Research Series Working Papers, Department of