Author: Ellen Fungisai Chipango (MENAFN - The Conversation) Around the world, many countries measure energy poverty by looking at income. They define energy poverty in terms of how much of a household's budget is used up by energy consumption. For example, if a household spends more than 10% of its income on domestic energy needs, it's considered energy poor. This way of seeing energy poverty encourages a focus on increasing the supply of kilowatts of electricity. What's more, the emphasis tends to be on the total amount of energy delivered to a group of people, without regard for how it is distributed or the distinctions between people.