Carbon footprints of low income households; does addressing fuel poverty conflict with carbon saving?

Panel: Panel 8. Dynamics of consumption

Author:
Jacky Pett, Pett Projects, UK

Abstract

Carbon footprinting has become a popular way of communicating climate change issues and the need to change behaviour. The UK government has developed an on-line system called Act On CO2, whereby people can input their fuel usage, house and appliance characteristics and travel activity, to produce a carbon footprint partitioned into household, appliance and travel use.

A study of thirty households in the eastern region of the UK sought to establish the carbon footprint of people in lower income brackets, who had received energy efficiency measures under local authority funding schemes, using the Act On CO2 system. The aim was to provide information on whether local authority funding for low income housing supports their aim to reduce carbon emissions, or whether rebound effects mean that their efforts are negated. This is important in the argument for maintaining fuel poverty programmes compared with programmes directed to the better off.

The paper presents the footprints of the thirty households and considers whether they are significantly different from other interested parties. It considers lifestyle changes using case studies of five households and compares what is included in currently circulating carbon footprints.
It concludes that programmes for low income families are probably as effective in reducing carbon footprint as for any other social group and that cost savings to the household have been eroded by rising costs of fuel and other necessities including water and food. Furthermore, reducing the carbon emissions for households in fuel poverty through energy efficiency schemes is unlikely to lead to indirect rebound effects.