Profiling the Lived Experiences of the Energy Poor

Dr. Das was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Institutional Grant for a project examining energy poverty as a form of social inequality through lived experiences.

Using energy is critical in our modern lives. We use it for necessities such as cooking food, heating homes, and engaging in important social practices. However, energy is not equally available to everyone, even in Canada. This project adapts scholarly definitions of energy poverty to a Canadian context to measure the lived reality of this emerging form of social inequality. Working with direct stakeholders, this research will profile the lived experiences of the energy poor. The findings will enrich public discourse and help to illuminate who is most in need of help, why, and the support they require.