Fuel poverty and indoor temperature clusters of low income households in Athens, Greece

Abstract

Fuel poverty is a complex socioeconomic problem that affects low income households hit by the global economic recession. This research employed k-means clustering to group 50 low and very low income households into three clusters (Poorest, Average and Richest) based on mean indoor temperature, surface area of the dwelling, number of rooms, family size, building age and income. The Poorest Cluster contained 9 households that had an annual income of 2133 euros, had the smallest families, occupied less surface area with fewer rooms, lived in older buildings, used less central heating and had the lowest average indoor temperature. The Richest Cluster contained 20 large families that had an average annual income of 11850 euros, occupied a larger surface area, had more rooms and lived in newer buildings with more heating autonomy. Finally, 7.6% of the households of the Richest Cluster, 8.6% of the Average Cluster and 11.6% of the Poorest Cluster were fuel poor. Findings show that the lowest income households live in dire economic conditions and underscore the need to address fuel poverty via targeted measures.