The complex European challenge linked to the energy transition requires a profound change in the conception of current energy systems, which still preserve a strong dependence
on fossil fuels, with both economic and social implications. The new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBD 2018/844/EU aims to improve the quality and energy performance of existing buildings not only through technological upgrading but also by addressing the issue
of energy poverty, i.e., helping people to cope with energy costs and access new technologies.
In this context, the research project “Poor us: the energy poverty of Italian households” considers energy poverty from the perspective of the built environment, exploring the relationships between the behavior of inhabitants and the characteristics of their homes. The aim is to measure energy poverty in a private building case study using an interdisciplinary methodological approach that combines perspectives from architecture, energy engineering, and geography in order to suggest integrated and adaptable transformation prospects. The experiment was carried out through a real case study (a multi-story residential building located in Turin), which made it possible to analyze the complex system of relationships between habits, consumption, and the environment through the collection of energy and building data.
The results of the study show that energy poverty is a complex phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a single factor, but rather involves a series of interrelated variables.
