Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to present a proposal to use indicators and measures of thermal energy poverty of households and an attempt to develop, based on the indicators and the measures, a definition of the thermal poverty phenomenon, which such a definition shall enable a proper shaping of the national energy security policy. The main motive for addressing this subject is, first of all, the lack of this deprivation’s unambiguous determinants and the lack of this deprivation’s unambiguous measures covering all households that experience the deprivation; secondly, the lack of an unambiguous definition of the thermal poverty phenomenon - which such definition would be recognised by all experts specialized in this subject, as well as by various public policies dealing with the elimination of this phenomenon. The research problem will focus on three issues: the attempt to define the concept of the household thermal energy poverty based on an international literature review; the discussion on the household thermal energy poverty phenomenon in Poland and the presentation of the research methodology in determining indicators and measures of household thermal poverty.