Work

Climate-sensitive urban energy poverty indicator framework

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Climate change and rapid urbanization are intensifying urban heat, yet current energy poverty assessments often overlook how intra-urban microclimates shape residential energy needs. Although Local Climate Zones, multidimensional vulnerability indicators, indoor environmental monitoring, and building energy simulation are well established, they have rarely been integrated to assess household energy poverty. Here, we present the Climate-Sensitive Urban Energy Poverty Indicator Framework, which integrates these components to assess household energy poverty under climate-sensitive urban conditions using household surveys, indoor environmental monitoring, and urban climate modeling in Temuco, Chile. We show that urban form influences energy demand and thermal discomfort. Compact low-rise neighborhoods experienced higher thermal-discomfort exposure (mean 0.32 versus 0.07), greater equipment and insulation deficits (0.61 versus 0.28), and lower access to cooling equipment (11% versus 32%) than open low-rise neighborhoods. These findings reveal vulnerability patterns overlooked by conventional metrics and support climate-resilient urban planning and evidence-based energy policy.

Source: Communications Sustainability

DOI: 10.1038/s44458-026-00142-7

Authors: Aner Martinez-Soto, Katherine Castro-Coliqueo, Daniel Sanhueza-Catalán, Yarela Saldías-Lagos, Kathrin Foshag, Alexander Zipf

Institutions: Universidad de La Frontera, Heidelberg University, Universidad Gabriela Mistral, Heidelberg University of Education

Language: English

Topic: Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action, Reduced inequalities, No poverty, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo