Mapping the energy poverty: a case study based on the Energy Performance Certificates in the city of Bologna

Abstract Energy poverty is defined as the condition in which low-income people is no more able to face the costs of energy bills and consequently accept to live in cold and uncomfortable houses. In recent years the scientific literature about this specific issue has registered a significant growth, despite the problem is mainly approached from an econometric point of view to which instead medical, social and energy aspects have to be coupled. Recent EU policies like the Clean Energy Package and the Energy Building Performance Directive Recast III encourage to increase the efforts to tackle and eradicate the energy poverty. The paper approaches the problem focusing on one of its complementary causes: the building energy performance. The adopted methodology includes the calculation of the energy costs for each household, the definition of the energy poverty threshold, the calculation of the related building energy performance limit, otherwise leading to the energy poverty condition. These data, associated with the energy performance certificates, are used to create a GIS based mapping of the buildings potentially affected by energy poverty. Maps can be used to support decision making process in addressing appropriate strategies at urban level to tackle the energy poverty risk. The paper includes a case study in the city of Bologna where the proposed methodology is tested.