Tracking spatio-temporal energy vulnerability: A composite indicator for England and Wales

Energy vulnerability concerns a household that is unable to access a socially and materially necessitated level of energy service. The government’s fuel poverty metric which concerns fuel affordability and energy efficiency does not capture the broader range of factors that drive energy vulnerability within households. Research has addressed this gap by creating spatial composite indicators using a greater array of known drivers. However, the studies that observe the temporality of energy vulnerability are in short supply. This prevents the monitoring of progress and the identification of areas with entrenched energy vulnerability. A temporal consideration is critical as the associated household physical and mental health implications from energy vulnerability are known to compound over time. This study addresses the gap by constructing the first spatial energy vulnerability composite indicator for England and Wales that is temporally comparable. Utilising dwelling and socio-economic measures, we calculate energy vulnerability risk in small areas for both 2011 and 2021. The findings reveal substantial geographic variation in energy vulnerability, with a total of 5,530 small areas identified to be in entrenched energy vulnerability across the analysis period. We strongly advocate for targeted policies to be situated within both areas of continued and increasing energy vulnerability to raise living standards.