Call for contributions
UPDATE 20th APRIL 2026:
Entries for Manchester event and GMT timezone are now closed.
Entries for Syndey and Asia-Pacific Hub remain open (submit below).
The Energy Poverty Research Network (formerly Fuel Poverty Research Network) invites you to attend and contribute to their 2026 conference, 27th and 28th October 2026 in Manchester and online with a parallel event in Sydney Australia. The event marks ten years since our first network meeting and is an opportunity to reflect on a decade of collaboration in the context of a rapidly developing field.
Whether you are researching energy poverty or housing, developing policy, or working directly with vulnerable people, this is an opportunity to meet others, share ideas and stories, and engage with the latest developments. We welcome contributions from people working on energy poverty issues anywhere in the world in any capacity, whether established or new to the field.
We are planning a lively and engaging event and therefore welcome contributions in different forms and of varying lengths. Contributions can be on any relevant topic. Please use this list as a guide:
- A lightning talk (10 mins)
A short update on a project, whether research, policy or practice - Research presentation (up to 20 mins): a more detailed presentation including the findings and implications of research conducted in any setting (does not have to be a University)
- Reflections from practice (up to 20 mins): an opportunity provide reflections from your experience working on energy poverty issues
- Comment or provocation (10 mins): your reflections on a current issue in energy poverty research, maybe something that will prompt debate
- Panel or other interactive session (flexible length): propose a discussion on a particular theme, potentially as a workshop or as a panel discussion
- Other ideas – creative and engaging ideas welcome!
Across all of these, and particularly 4 and 5, we encourage you to engage with the ‘looking back, moving forward’ conference theme. All contributions can be delivered in-person (in Manchester or Sydney) or online, but please consider the practicalities of conducting interactive sessions online.
We are also keen to hear from people who would like to organise ‘hub events’ around the same time in different locations or timezones. Please get in touch if you would be interested in this.
Asia-Pacific Hub
The Asia-Pacific EPRN Conference Hub in Sydney will run 28–29 October (local Sydney time, which is +11GMT). We welcome participants from Australia and others from nearby regions where this time zone is convenient. Day 1 will run from around lunchtime until 10pm so that a few hours overlap with the second day of the Manchester event, and Day 2 will run from mid-morning until late afternoon. The hub will offer both in-person and online participation. Groups at the same location are welcome to join the online sessions together. To attend, please sign up via the main EPRN registration link and indicate that you are interested in the Asia-Pacific hub.
Contacts and questions
Any questions? Please email us on events@fuelpovertyresearch.net (general and Manchester event) or australia-hub@fuelpovertyresearch.net (Australia event – Lee White and Anna Cain)
Costs
The conference location (within central Manchester and Sydney) and registration costs will be announced before the July registration deadline 2026. We are committed to keeping the event affordable, and we anticipate a cost around £100 for the Manchester event with a discounted fee available to charities and early career. In Sydney, we expect a small fee to cover catering for in-person attendees. Online attendance will be free.
Get involved
EPRN is run by volunteers. If you’d like to help out with the conference (with preparation, and at the event itself), please get in touch.
Indicative timeline
- 9th February 2026: Call for contributions open
- 12th April: Closing date for call for contributions
- 5th May: Applicants informed if successful and asked to confirm
- 26th May: Deadline for applicants to confirm
- 1st June: Programme confirmed and registration open
- 31st July: Deadline for contributors to register
- 30th September: Final date for registration
- 27th & 28th October: Conference takes place in Manchester and online