Challenges and Singularities of Energy Poverty in Portuguese Society-A Case Study

The impossibility and lack of accessibility for several households in Europe to resort to efficient heating and cooling technologies in their homes or to carry out energy rehabilitation in buildings has been a growing concern, not only in the European Union, but also in many Member States. These households that are energetically vulnerable belong to the statistics of the phenomenon identified as energy poverty. Multiple factors justify the growing concern about this problem within the European Union, either due to the need to assess the consequences of the liberalization of energy markets on the most vulnerable consumers, or due to the creation, exposure and identification of situations of poverty, social exclusion, health problems public health, decrease in comfort and living conditions. These factors tend to influence the country's macroeconomic outlook to the extent that they undermine energy policy options, reducing their efficiency and making it difficult to implement energy policies that are more environmentally friendly and capable of facing the challenges of climate change. Since the built environment is the largest consumer of energy, the fight against energy poverty should be encouraged in this sector due to the impact it may have on the country's socioeconomic indicators.