EP-Nordic Research Project

Inadequate access to affordable heating infrastructures and technologies is one of the key determinants of energy poverty in cold climate countries. Significant heating infrastructures in Finland, for example, include those of wood delivery, district heating (mainly heated up by wood chips) and electricity distribution. All of these infrastructures have been under significant societal, technical and market pressures within recent years, having resulted in major price increase for households customers in many, mainly rural and semi-urban regions. Wealthy people in large cities, and energy-intensive industry users have a very different energy position, than less wealthy families in sparsely populated areas, burdened by their heating expenses and renovation needs.

Saving, shifting or shivering? Mapping and measuring energy poverty in the Nordic countries (EP-Nordic, 2024–2028), is an Academy Research Fellowship project of Dr Sini Numminen, funded by the Research Council of Finland, exploring the dynamics and causes of energy poverty. Nordic energy poverty has remained an unexplored topic despite several risk factors has been identified long time ago, including the extensive use of electricity for heating, cold climate and ageing housing stock. EP-Nordic targets to understand the characteristics of energy poverty (EP) in the Nordic countries.

Project structure

EP-Nordic consists of five work packages (WPs). WP1 will deliver an analysis of the energy vulnerability factors in the Nordic contexts. We will conduct interviews with societal actors and experts with relevant knowledge on the consequences of energy poverty for various vulnerable population segments. In WP2 we explore statistical and survey data and measure the width and depth of energy poverty. In WP3 we study the experiences and living conditions of some energy-vulnerable segments, including electricity-heaters, immigrant background families, families with children and elderly. In WP4 we interview people having planned moving home during the energy crisis with the aim to examine how intentions, abilities and the act of moving home connects with energy vulnerability. Finally, EP-Nordic WP5 targets to produce policy-relevant tools for the identification of energy poverty in Nordic countries. EP-Nordic is situated at the NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group and collaborates with Malmö University, Stockholm Environment Institute, TNO (The Netherlands), Department of the Built Environment at Aalborg University, University of Oslo, Finnish Environment Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University, LUT School of Engineering Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, and the Centre for Consumer Society Research at the University of Helsinki.

Get Involved

Are you working with vulnerable citizen or at a relevant sector (e.g. energy markets, renovation industry, energy policy, social policy, building sector, social work, municipalities), or have experience of energy poverty and its consequences in your private life? Do you reach economically deprived or otherwise vulnerable citizen? Do you know somebody who holds relevant information about Nordic energy vulnerabilities? How can energy poverty be defined in your opinion? Please send an email, we would like to interview you in a 30–60 min discussion. 

For Students

Curious in conducting a student project or a master's thesis? We have several ideas for research topics and can supervise or co-supervise. You can also propose your own ideas. You can also apply for School's Doctoral programme, but please note that access is highly competitive and necessitates applying for your own funding. 

Project team

• Academy Research Fellow Sini Numminen
• Postdoctoral Researcher Jenni E. Viitala
• Research Assistant Eija Valkealahti
• Associate Professor Mikko Jalas

Aalto University, The School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Contact person:

Sini Numminen, firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Literature

Numminen, S., Jalas, M., Ruggiero, S., & Värä, A. (2025). Shifting toward dynamic pricing of electricity: What did we learn from the 2021–2024 energy crises? Smart Energy, 20, 100210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.segy.2025.100210

Vahnberg, J., & von Platten, J. (2025). Energy poverty, power and capital: Moving beyond descriptive theories through the Swedish institutional case. Energy Research & Social Science, 125, 104100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104100

Numminen, S., Kajoskoski, T., Kaltampanidis, Y., & Jalas, M. (2024). Energy vulnerability of detached home owners in Finland: An explorative study. Energy and Buildings, 310, 114082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.114082

Numminen, S. & Kajoskoski, T. (2024). Energiaköyhyyden mittaamisen haasteet: kuinka tunnistaa haavoittuvat kotitaloudet Suomen kontekstissa? ORSI-hanke. https://ecowelfare.fi/2024/05/28/energiakoyhyyden-mittaamisen-haasteet-kuinka-tunnistaa-haavoittuvat-kotitaloudet-suomen-kontekstissa/

Madsen, L. V., Hansen, A. R., Nielsen, R. S., & Gram-Hanssen, K. (2024). The links and entanglements of energy vulnerability: Unpacking the consequences of the energy crisis in Denmark. Energy Research & Social Science, 118, 103784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103784

Mulder, P., Dalla Longa, F., & Straver, K. (2023). Energy poverty in the Netherlands at the national and local level: A multi-dimensional spatial analysis. Energy Research & Social Science, 96, 102892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102892

Jalas, M., & Numminen, S. (2022). Prime-time access for whom? Rhythms fairness and the dynamic pricing of infrastructure services. Local Environment, 0(0), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2022.2040468

Bredvold, T. L., & Inderberg, T. H. J. (2022). Shockingly cold and electricity-dependent in a rich context: Energy poor households in Norway. Energy Research & Social Science, 91, 102745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102745