Energy Poverty in Canada

Runa Das received a grant from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for a research project on energy poverty in Canada to aid in the low carbon energy transition.

In the modern world, energy is all around us. We use it to cook our food, heat our homes, and engage in important social practices. However, energy is not equally available to everyone, even in Canada. The “energy poor” are people with low access to the necessities afforded by reliable energy services in their everyday lives. This project adapts scholarly definitions of energy poverty to a Canadian context to measure the lived reality of this emerging form of social inequality.

Canada’s shift from an economy and society based on fossil fuels to one based on less carbon intensive forms of energy is triggering far-reaching reconfigurations at the material, economic and institutional levels. By maintaining global economic competitiveness and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the economic and environmental benefits of the transition are clear. But far less clear is how energy transitioning will impact the inability of individuals and households to secure socially and materially necessitated levels of energy services in the home. Evidence from international research suggests that energy poverty is adversely linked to physical, emotional, and social well-being. We therefore ask the following necessary questions: Who is living in energy poverty in Canada? What drives energy poverty? What are the experiences of the energy poor? What are the strategies in place to address energy poverty? The proposed research will investigate these critical questions, which have received little to no attention from Canadian social scientists.

First, we will examine recent Statistics Canada survey data to identify the prevalence of domestic energy poverty across Canada. We will use the Survey of Household Spending (also used for calculating domestic GDP) and the Households and Environment Survey. Using statistical methods, we will produce robust indicators for benchmarking energy poverty in Canada.

Second, we will complement top-down research with bottom-up research. Specifically, using qualitative methods and interviews, we will address the multi-dimensional nature of energy poverty. In doing so, we aim to profile the lived experiences of energy poverty. Establishing what energy poverty “looks like” will help with knowing who is most in need of help, and why.

Last, we will evaluate the scope and context of energy poverty strategies in two Canadian cities. This will involve a critical analysis of research as well as a comprehensive search of strategies aimed at alleviating energy poverty, i.e., policies, tools, and programs. These activities are intended to generate initial insights on available interventions and will serve as the foundation for a subsequent, larger-scale study that continues the analysis and comparison of energy poverty strategies.

By positioning this work within a framework of capabilities, justice, and vulnerability we aim to offer conceptual space to marry strategies at the nexus of energy transitions, energy poverty, and climate change. That is, we aim to offer solutions that will challenge the energy divide. The proposed work offers several other contributions. This project will provide critical knowledge on the social dimensions of low carbon energy transitions. Specifically, it will question the kinds of policies that are used in low carbon energy transitioning and the social implications that are neglected in the process. Results will generate evidence-based knowledge, which can be mobilized to inform, improve, and facilitate equitable and coherent policy development. Findings will also enrich public discourse by illuminating lived energy poverty experiences.