Energy hardship can include both absolute and relative measures of financial hardship, as well as circumstances where residents limit their energy use for normal daily activities. This research examines the incidence of energy hardship for Australian low income renters, and considered strategies and policy actions to reduce its impact on the lives of such households.

In general, a household is said to be in energy poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm. The combination of low incomes, energy prices and inefficient housing leads to energy poverty.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has made a draft rule to help customers who are having trouble paying their bills due to hardship. The rule aims to improve retailers’ hardship policies so customers can better understand their rights and get the help they need to pay their power bills.

Fuel poverty is a fact of life for 2.5 million households across England. At its worst, fuel poverty can contribute to premature winter deaths – around 10,000 deaths in 2016–2017 were related to cold homes.

The research reported in this summary of findings identifies the financial and non-financial barriers that prevent lower income households from reducing their carbon consumption.This research is designed as a follow-up to the data mining exercise (CRC-LCL RP3001) conducted by Burke and Ralston. In their report, Burke and Ralston (2015) identified rising fuel costs as a...