Lise Desvallées: Framing, politicisation and the resolution of energy vulnerabilities: between the right to energy and the regulation of the practices of the poor in Porto and Barcelona

50 million Europeans face financial difficulties in heating, cooking or lighting their homes. Households that go without these services due to insufficient income, and which spend a significant proportion of their budget on these expenses, are in a situation of energy poverty. European legislation requires Member States to establish policies to measure and tackle the problem. This is a complex objective because energy poverty lies at the intersection of a range of factors addressed by separate sectoral policies: energy prices, the energy efficiency of housing, and social support.

This thesis examines the conditions under which the issue of energy vulnerabilities emerges on national and local public agendas, drawing on an approach from urban political ecology. The comparative study is conducted in two cities (Porto and Barcelona) where the issue is significant and addressed in different ways. Our analysis aims to examine the factors that combine to create situations of vulnerability and bring them to the fore as a public issue. It focuses on legislation, local innovations and media coverage of the issue. We contrast these forms of collective action with a study of the concrete conditions of energy vulnerability experienced by vulnerable households supported by social services and charitable organisations.

The main finding of the thesis is that situations of energy vulnerability are politicised, involving both new and traditional actors in energy governance and giving rise to two types of response. We also show how the activism of community groups is giving rise to a right to energy, which is not enshrined in national legislation and which, under pressure from new social movements, is becoming an imperative for local authorities. Finally, we demonstrate the roll-out of an intervention model for households aimed at reducing consumption to lower bills and limit the number of unpaid energy bills. This experimental and low-cost model is of interest to civil society organisations, local authorities and energy suppliers, even though for vulnerable households it represents a continuation of their efforts to reduce their energy bills.

Members of the jury

• Stefan Bouzarovski, Professor, University of Manchester (Rapporteur)
• Olivier Coutard, Research Director, CNRS (LATTS) (PhD supervisor)
• Sylvy Jaglin, University Professor, Université Paris Est Marne-la-Vallée (Chair of the jury)
• Hélène Reigner, University Professor, Aix-Marseille University (Rapporteur)
• Jonathan Rutherford, Research Fellow, École des Ponts ParisTech (co-supervisor of the thesis)
• David Saurí, University Professor, Autonomous University of Barcelona