In April, the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) organised 2 complementary events to explore how overlapping forms of vulnerability shape lived experiences of energy poverty across Europe.
On 23 April, the 4th EPAH practitioners’ event, “Interlocking vulnerabilities: intersectional approaches to understanding energy poverty”, brought together 57 practitioners, policymakers, researchers and community actors to examine how an intersectional lens can improve the understanding and governance of energy poverty.
On 29 April, the 23rd EPAH lunch talk, “Interlocking vulnerabilities in energy poverty: reflections from practice and inclusive community perspectives”, expanded the discussion to an additional 48 participants representing local municipalities, climate think tanks, and NGOs to environmental protection ministries, energy agencies, and academic institutions. The Lunch Talk focused on practical insights and implementation.
The two sessions combined conceptual framing with field-based experiences, illustrating how intersectional approaches can inform both analysis and local action.
4th EPAH practitioners’ event
Co-hosted by the EPAH antenna in Slovenia, Focus Association for Sustainable Development, the event combined a keynote, participatory working groups, and a roundtable of field presentations.
Saska Petrova (University of Manchester) introduced intersectionality, presenting it as a framework for understanding how overlapping systems of inequality shape lived experiences and stressed its relevance for analysing how structural factors create and amplify vulnerability in energy poverty. She also cautioned against reducing its use to a “tick-box” concept.
Drawing on the GENERATE Project (Gender and Precarity at the Energy Frontier, University of Manchester), she illustrated how precarity and intersectionality, a concept rooted in feminist theory that examines how overlapping social identities and power structures shape inequality, can be combined to analyse energy governance and the reproduction of inequalities. Key recommendations included context-sensitive policy design, improved disaggregated data, moving beyond the nuclear family as the default unit of analysis, and complementing quantitative measurement with insights from feminist social sciences.
Sandy Fameliari (Electra Energy, Greece) presented the Hyperion energy community to show how energy cooperatives can simultaneously address gender inequality and energy poverty. The Hyperion initiative donates 5% of its solar capacity to vulnerable households, distributes EU pilot equipment to energy-poor beneficiaries, and provides training and renovation support. She also highlighted practical gender-inclusive practices from GENDER4POWER project, including women’s representation in coordinating roles, on-site childcare during community assemblies, and women’s involvement in housing design decisions.
Virginia Dicuonzo (AISFOR, Italy) presented the ASSERT project, funded by the LIFE programme, which addresses the largely overlooked intersection of disability and energy poverty. Research across more than 100 studies showed that 24% of people with disabilities are at risk of energy poverty, while relevant data often remains fragmented across municipal departments. ASSERT is developing training programmes for municipalities and intermediaries in 5 countries to bridge this gap.
Ana Stojilovska (ELTE, Hungary) shared insights from the LIGHT project, which works with migrants, single mothers and Roma communities. Findings show that the boundary between energy poverty and broader material deprivation is often blurred, with households experiencing multiple, reinforcing vulnerabilities. For example, a single mother caring for a child with special needs may face cascading costs that standard income-based assessments fail to capture. She emphasised that affected communities are experts in their own experiences and should be actively involved in policy design, rather than treated solely as research subjects or beneficiaries.
A participatory session brought together 5 working groups to identify key challenges and strategies related to intersectionality in energy poverty.
Participants highlighted:
- inadequate and non-intersectional measurement of energy poverty,
- difficulty reaching and meaningfully engaging marginalised groups, including Roma communities, migrants and people with disabilities,
- lack of coordinated local frameworks to address energy poverty,
- limited integration of intersectionality into policy and practice.
Proposed strategies included:
- strengthening trusted community intermediary networks to bridge engagement between institutions and marginalised groups,
- developing multi-dimensional vulnerability indicators beyond financial criteria to include disability, caregiving responsibilities and housing conditions,
- establishing local energy poverty offices and independent advisory services,
- co-designing policies with affected communities from the outset.
23rd EPAH lunch talk
The 23rd EPAH lunch talk, moderated by Marta García París (Ecoserveis | EPAH), built on the Practitioners’ Event and focused on translating intersectional approaches into practice, particularly through community engagement.
Lidija Živčič (Focus Association for Sustainable Development | EPAH antenna) presented key takeaways from the Practitioners’ Event, framing intersectionality as a way of understanding overlapping inequalities. She highlighted how energy poverty is shaped by intersecting vulnerabilities, including housing conditions, caregiving responsibilities, and broader socio-economic pressures, which are often insufficiently captured by standard indicators. Drawing on practitioners’ experience, she pointed to persistent challenges in addressing energy poverty, including fragmented data systems, difficulties in reaching marginalised groups, limited coordination across sectors, and the need for stronger integration of intersectional approaches in policy and service delivery.
Sarah Lund (Klimatorium, Denmark) complemented this perspective with reflections on community engagement. Drawing on Klimatorium’s experience as an open, free, and publicly accessible space reaching 30,000 to 35,000 people annually, she highlighted the importance of creating inclusive environments where diverse groups can interact without institutional barriers.
She stressed that effective engagement depends on making topics relevant to everyday life and clearly demonstrating their value, as abstract discussions alone are unlikely to mobilise participation. She also underlined that many individuals engaging with climate and energy issues may already experience stress, emotional depletion, or vulnerability, shaping how they are able to participate. In this context, approaches based on listening, trust, and dialogue are essential.
Ms. Lund further emphasised the importance of reaching people before they actively seek support, by creating inviting and accessible spaces that attract a wide audience.
During the discussion, participants highlighted the need for stronger coordination across sectors and actors. Institutions often operate in silos and within narrowly defined responsibilities, holding separate pieces of information on vulnerability, which limits a comprehensive understanding of energy poverty.
The discussion also reinforced the importance of working through trusted local actors and intermediaries to engage marginalised groups, as well as moving beyond single indicators towards more integrated and participatory frameworks that reflect the complexity of overlapping vulnerabilities.
EPAH’s knowledge-sharing approach
Together, the Practitioners’ Event and the Lunch Talk illustrate EPAH’s multi-layered approach to knowledge sharing.
- Practitioners’ events offer a deep-dive, expert space for exchange, peer learning and co-creation of solutions around a specific topic,
- Lunch talks provide an accessible, regular platform for municipalities, practitioners and stakeholders to share experiences and engage with emerging research and local initiatives,
- Both formats prioritise interaction, mutual learning and practical application, contributing to a growing community of practice on energy poverty in Europe.
Presentations
Sarah Lund, Director of International Collaborations and Strategic Sustainability Initiatives, Klimatorium
Lidija Živčič, Senior Expert, Focus Association for Sustainable Development
Details
- Publication date
- 11 May 2026