Equitable energy transitions in informal urban settlements : lessons from energy audits in the City of Buenos Aires

Abstract

Informal settlements across Latin America remain a critical blind spot in urban climate strategies. Despite their demographic weight—home to 20% to 50% of city residents in many countries—these neighbourhoods are often excluded from energy efficiency policies and clean energy transitions. Residents typically live in self-built homes with poor thermal insulation, lack of formal energy access, and precarious connections, leading to both elevated climate vulnerability and inefficient energy use. This paper examines how household-level energy audits can serve as a powerful tool for addressing this gap. Drawing on a pilot program in the City of Buenos Aires, we conducted energy audits in 38 households across three informal settlements, comparing two housing typologies: newly built social housing and older, self-built dwellings. The audits combined technical assessments with behavioural interviews to quantify energy end uses and evaluate opportunities for savings. Our findings reveal that five end uses (heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, refrigeration) drive over 80% of household consumption. Although newer units consume more energy in total, energy performance per square metre is significantly higher, reflecting better insulation and formal service access served through new housing infrastructure. We show how energy audits can identify high-impact interventions—such as appliance upgrades, insulation retrofits, and behavioural nudges—that reduce consumption by up to 50%. Beyond their technical function, audits catalyze conversations around fairer tariff schemes, safety, and energy literacy. Rather than blanket subsidies, we argue for targeted, data-driven investments rooted in actual household needs. When scaled, energy audits offer a replicable, equity-oriented approach to decarbonization that bridges the technical and the social—moving informal settlements from the margins of policy to the centre of urban climate action.