Energy poverty is one of the greatest social and environmental challenges of our time, affecting millions of families in Europe. This phenomenon is the result of a combination of low incomes, high energy costs, and inefficient buildings, compromising well-being, health, and social inclusion. In recent years, several policies and initiatives have been developed to combat energy poverty, such as the European Energy Poverty Recommendation, the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), the Energy Efficiency Directive (EU 2023/1791), and the National Long-Term Strategy for Combating Energy Poverty 2023–2050. However, significant gaps remain in terms of harmonized diagnostic tools, making it difficult to compare situations of energy vulnerability, especially in the Portuguese context.
This dissertation critically analyses the main energy poverty diagnostic surveys, with the aim of standardizing data collection methodologies and channelling existing knowledge into the development of more effective and targeted mitigation measures. The specific objectives include: (i) analysing the general overview of diagnostic methods; (ii) characterizing and comparing national and international surveys and their results; and (iii) creating a modular base survey, adaptable to different territorial realities and applicable in Portugal. The methodology followed a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, developed in seven stages. First, a review of the literature on energy poverty and diagnostic tools was carried out; subsequently, 23 projects, 16 national and 7 international, with relevance to the diagnosis and mitigation of energy poverty, were mapped and characterized. Due to the availability and consistency of the data, the final empirical analysis focused on 15 surveys applied to families in situations of energy vulnerability in Portugal and other European contexts.
The synthesis of national and international evidence served as the basis for the proposal for a modular baseline survey, with eight modules, structured into sections that can be adapted to different realities. The application of this survey could be particularly relevant within the national network of Energy Spaces, strengthening coordination between public policy, financing, and local action in the fight against energy poverty.

Superisors: João Pedro Gouveia and Miguel Macias Sequeira