Analyzing Energy Poverty and Its Determinants in Greece: Implications for Policy

Yannis Sarafidis, Sevastianos Mirasgedis (), Nikos Gakis, Elpida Kalfountzou, Dimitris Kapetanakis, Elena Georgopoulou, Christos Tourkolias and Dimitris Damigos
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Yannis Sarafidis: Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Ioannou Metaxa & Vasileos Pavlou, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece
Sevastianos Mirasgedis: Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Ioannou Metaxa & Vasileos Pavlou, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece
Nikos Gakis: Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Ioannou Metaxa & Vasileos Pavlou, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece
Elpida Kalfountzou: School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 15772 Athens, Greece
Dimitris Kapetanakis: Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Ioannou Metaxa & Vasileos Pavlou, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece
Elena Georgopoulou: Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Ioannou Metaxa & Vasileos Pavlou, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece
Christos Tourkolias: Center for Renewable Energy Sources & Saving, 19th Km Marathonos Avenue, 19009 Pikermi, Greece
Dimitris Damigos: School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 15772 Athens, Greece

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-25

Abstract: Energy and environmental policies in the sector of buildings aim to achieve climate targets while ensuring affordable energy services for households. This study uses the Greek residential sector as a case study and focuses on energy poverty, examining both established and novel energy poverty indicators for its measurement, analyzing the key determinants of energy poverty, and developing statistical models to identify energy-poor households. The same models are also used for assessing the effectiveness of policies and measures implemented or planned to address energy poverty with a view to develop synergies with policies aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy poverty levels in Greece ranged from 8.4% to 19.6% in 2021, depending on the energy poverty measure used. The evaluation of the policies aiming at tackling energy poverty showed that deep energy renovations, combined with space heating system upgrades, can reduce energy poverty by 69–99%. Shallow energy renovations and upgrades of space heating systems, implemented either individually or in combination, are less effective. Finally, while the various subsidy schemes for vulnerable households do not significantly affect energy poverty levels, they play a critical role in alleviating the depth of energy poverty and improving the quality of energy services provided to households.

Keywords: energy poverty; objective indicators; logistic regression; energy-poor households; tackling energy poverty; decarbonization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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