Energy poverty, bridging the gap between housing association and tenant

Energy poverty, bridging the gap between housing association and tenant: What measures housing associations can take to aid their tenants who are struggling with energy poverty

Cairo, Marvin (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)

Hoekstra, J.S.C.M. (mentor)
Qian, QK (mentor)
Croon, T.M. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences

2023-06-28

Due to rising energy prices, an increasing number of households are experiencing difficulties with the affordability of their energy bills. As a result, households are unable to heat or cool their homes, or use electrical appliances as desired. This is known as energy poverty. This research focuses on energy poverty within housing associations. As two-thirds of households experiencing energy poverty live in housing association homes, this research is specifically targeted at housing associations. The research examines the possible gap between what housing associations are doing to combat energy poverty for their tenants, and what tenants would like to see housing associations do for them. Since renovation is simply too expensive and takes several years, it is excluded from consideration. As a result, housing associations will need to take other measures to help their tenants. This research will look at these taken measures and provides recommendations to housing associations to reduce and possibly solve the gap between what they can do and what tenants want to happen. The main question of this thesis is: What can housing associations do to close the gap between them and their tenants in the social housing sector regarding combating energy poverty?
This research will be carried out based on a qualitative study in which literature will be reviewed, and housing associations and tenant organisations will be interviewed. The aim is to identify the gap between what is desired by tenants and capable of housing associations and to draw up recommendations for housing associations to assist their tenants as well as possible. The recommendations of the research indicate that many of the gaps found during the comparison of the focus groups have to do with communication, both improving communication itself, and setting up communication between tenants and the association to reduce energy poverty.

Energy Poverty
housing association
tenants

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3fcc6230-86fc-4848-a6ed-16dd46fea640

Student theses

master thesis

© 2023 Marvin Cairo