Rethinking the hidden energy poverty indicator: Using electricity consumption quartiles to identify vulnerable households in South-Central Chile

Abstract

Energy poverty is a complex and multidimensional problem that has been widely studied in countries of the global North, especially in the European Union. The methodologies and indicators developed in these countries are difficult to adapt to contexts as disparate as those of Latin America and the Caribbean. The objective of the article is to analyse whether simple indicators based on electricity consumption, such as the Hidden Energy Poverty Indicator, allow to measure energy poverty in this region. An intentional case study is taken as a set of households in South-Central Chile that have been identified as being in a situation of energy poverty by the Social Register of Households in Chile. New ranges are proposed to categorise households in energy poverty and vulnerability, analysing the indicators on monthly and annual time scales. The results show how by including new study ranges, such as the third quartile of electricity expenditure distribution of the household sample, it is possible to categorize impoverished homes more effectively in the study territory. It is hoped that this will facilitate the identification of vulnerable housing at a local level by the different actors working in energy policies. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.