Bibliometric analysis of energy poverty and thermal comfort in the residential sector and social housing; [Análise bibliométrica sobre pobreza energética e conforto térmico no setor residencial e na habitação social]

Hoyos-Alayo W.M. · Revista Brasileira de Meio Ambiente (2026)

Resumen

Energy poverty limits the ability to maintain healthy indoor temperatures in social housing, increasing risks from cold and heat and widening inequities. The aim was to describe the evolution and main foci of the literature on energy poverty and thermal comfort in social housing. A bibliometric analysis was conducted in Scopus using a search performed on 29 December 2025, followed by metadata cleaning and normalisation, and analysis in Bibliometrix and VOSviewer using Lotka’s law, Bradford’s law, co-authorship and Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS). In addition, an operational synthesis of indicators and formulas was developed to measure energy poverty and thermal comfort in residential and social housing. A total of 370 documents published between 2002 and 2026 were analysed across 117 sources, with an annual growth rate of 5.95% and 25.54 citations per document. Articles predominated (266, 71.9%), followed by conference papers (53, 14.3%), reviews (25, 6.8%), and book chapters (23, 6.2%). The dataset included 1,128 authors, with 3.89 co-authors per document and 25.68% international co-authorship. Output concentrated from 2017 onwards and peaked in 2023 with 62 documents. Energy and Buildings led with 39 publications, and the United Kingdom and Spain ranked first with 84 and 71 documents. These results help set research priorities and inform efficiency and health protection policies in social housing, while providing an operational measurement basis to assess energy poverty and thermal comfort using consistent criteria. © (2026), (Reativar Ambiental). All right reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú