PNNL

Abstract

Energy security is a crucial aspect of human well-being. As climate change impacts become more evident, countries are interested in constructing equitable, resilient, and sustainable clean energy transition policies to reach emission reduction goals while ensuring energy security. Climate policies in the United States, many nations within the European Union, and elsewhere highlight the importance of having high levels of national energy security [1]. Beyond national-level energy security, adequate and affordable access to energy at the household level is also critical to the continued prioritization of climate policies [2], resulting in a need to address these policies’ implications on residential energy security. However, past policy discussions within the broader climate research community (government leaders, governmental and non-governmental organizations, climate policymakers, climate modelers, academics, etc.) regarding energy security primarily focused on national-level energy supply as a critical metric of energy security. Less research has explored the potential implications of energy transitions for residential energy security. Only a few recent studies addressed this topic by reviewing existing literature and in some cases using statistical analyses. However, these studies focus only on one specific dimension of residential energy security and do not provide a comprehensive framework for the topic. Thus, we conduct a literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles and government plans and policies that address residential or household-level energy security. Based on the review, we develop a framework to conceptualize residential energy security to facilitate communication among the scientific research community and policymakers. This framework for residential energy security is designed around four foundational pillars, five metrics that measure residential energy security levels, and seven drivers that influence the metrics. Throughout the paper, we provide policy examples to show how this framework can be applied to inform decision-making.