FUEL POVERTY AND STUDENTS:THE

NEGLECTED DEMOGRAPHICDr Jon Morris

University of Sheffield Management School

PURPOSE

■ Expansion in Higher Education in the UK since 1992 – increased demand for student accommodation

■ Universities and Local Authorities seek to ‘contain’ student populations in order to minimise disruption on local communities

■ Under-investment in maintaining housing stocks and in energy efficiency measures from Local Authorities and private landlords

■ Short term tennancies and lack of incentives■ Popular public expectation for students to live in poor quality

housing

METHOD

■ Questionnaire survey emailed to students at University of Sheffield (Undergraduate through to PhD/MBA)

■ 286 completed responses (11.44% response rate)■ Survey covered two areas:– Energy usage in the home and energy experiences– Knowledge, experience and perception of fuel poverty■ Responses measured on a 5-point likert scale

FINDINGS (1)

■ 78% of students rent University provided accommodation or from private landlords

■ The cost of rent is the most important consideration when choosing a house (86% rated as important or very important) followed by proximity to university

■ 58% of respondents rate energy efficiency measures as important or very important

■ 66% of respondents would prefer a warmer house during winter months

■ Rises to 72% when filtering for private renters only

FINDINGS (2)

■ Majority of students (85%) do not consider themselves to be fuel poor

■ Despite this, 63% reported problems paying energy bills■ 58% employed strategies to keep warm, including:– Wearing additional layers of clothing– Going to bed early– Cutting back on other spending– Using hot water bottles– Using University facilities

FUTURE WORK

■ Address the issue of perception vs reality■ Extend research to other Universities■ Engage with student bodies through interviews and

workshops on fuel poverty awareness■ Work with local authorities, universities, landlords, and

resident groups