Towards more equitable energy transitions in low-income households: An integrated analysis of energy and transport poverty in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Despite increasing policy emphasis on creating a more equitable society as a key component of the energy transition, there is still a dearth of assessments investigating the equity outcomes of decarbonisation scenarios and community scale Just Transition case studies, and those focusing on both energy and transport. This work seeks to fill this gap by examining energy and transport poverty could be alleviated by scenario analysis of these linked aspects of the Just Transition using an urban and a rural case study in Northern Ireland. This work examines the total costs of ownership of mode shifting and car sharing in transport and investment needs for domestic retrofit for energy poverty alleviation. The analysis finds that eBikes for suitable commutes bring substantial economic and environmental benefits compared to cars. For car sharing, the economic and environmental benefits are also substantial, with electric vehicles becoming cost effective at all occupancy rates from 2025. Regarding the alleviation of energy poverty, the mean cost to retrofit energy poor dwellings ranges from £2,143 depending on dwelling type. However, up to 3.5% of residents of each dwelling type will find the consequent debt burden causes significant financial stress, particularly for the elderly and those claiming benefits. This study concludes that the current mechanisms to support energy and transport poverty alleviation are insufficient and too narrowly targeted. Their expansion is a requisite component of any hopes of achieving a Just Transition in Northern Ireland.