Eating, heating or taking the bus? Lived experiences at the intersection of energy and transport poverty

Experiences of poverty can manifest in multiple aspects of everyday life, often in interlinking ways. One example is 'double energy vulnerability', where a household faces both energy poverty and transport poverty simultaneously. This can result in trade-offs, where prioritising one essential need (e.g., transport) makes accessing another impossible (e.g., heating). Such decisions are not easily made, and they can have distinct spatio-temporal characteristics. They can vary between space and time and across different household members, and result in stark inter- as well as intra-household differences. People with socio-demographic and contextual vulnerabilities are particularly at risk of experiencing double energy vulnerability. Based on 59 household interviews across the four nations of the United Kingdom, we provide novel, multi-nation empirical evidence on the lived experiences of double energy vulnerability, drawing on our themes; 'being locked into infrastructure', 'facing high costs and low incomes', 'choosing between energy and transport', and 'missing out'. A cross-national lived-experiences approach sheds light on double energy vulnerability as a relational, contingent and ongoing phenomena, attending to everyday experiences and capacities. We provide suggestions for further research, such as further study of double energy vulnerability amongst refugees and migrants. We also highlight that the study of lived experiences can aid the recognition of how different forms of poverty intersect and how they need to be taken into account in the design of Net Zero policies.

Automated summary

Experiences of poverty can have multiple impacts on everyday life, such as the simultaneous occurrence of energy poverty and transport poverty, resulting in difficult trade-offs between essential needs. These decisions can vary in space, time, and among household members, leading to significant differences within and between households. Special attention should be paid to vulnerable populations at risk of experiencing double energy vulnerability. This study provides empirical evidence on the lived experiences of double energy vulnerability in the UK, highlighting the interconnected themes of infrastructure, cost, choice, and missed opportunities. Further research, such as examining double energy vulnerability among refugees and migrants, is recommended. Additionally, the study of lived experiences can inform the development of Net Zero policies by considering the intersectionality of different forms of poverty.