CONSTRUCTING THE ENERGY POVERTY INDEX FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT INDICATORS

Purpose: The Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI), the dominant framework for measuring household energy deprivation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), systematically excludes residential built environment variables, construction quality, thermal envelope performance, building code compliance, and informal settlement classification. This paper constructs a Built Environment Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (BE-MEPI) integrating physical dwelling characteristics as structural determinants of energy poverty. Design/Methodology/Approach: A PRISMA 2020 systematic review across four databases, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, yielded 27 peer-reviewed studies (2011–2026). Thematic synthesis and framework-building methodology were applied to identify indicator gaps and construct the proposed index. Findings: Five built environment dimensions are absent from existing MEPI applications: building material durability; thermal envelope performance; daylighting and ventilation adequacy; building code compliance; and informal settlement spatial classification. The BE-MEPI comprises 13 indicators across five pillars, compatible with Demographic and Health Survey infrastructure and the Alkire-Foster dual-cutoff protocol. Originality/Value: This paper makes the first systematic attempt to construct a built-environment sensitive MEPI extension for SSA, enabling critical policy distinctions between income-driven and built-environment-driven energy poverty, and implicating construction professionals, architects, and housing regulators as essential actors in energy poverty alleviation. Research limitations/Implications: Key limitations include the resource-intensive nature of the thermal comfort indicator, the absence of a standardised structural integrity assessment protocol in SSA, and a baseline weighting scheme requiring empirical validation. Pilot application across diverse SSA urban morphologies is needed to establish benchmark scores and k-cutoffs. Practical implications: The BE-MEPI offers direct policy relevance for SSA energy ministries, urban planners, and international development partners by linking construction quality to energy outcomes, enabling cross-ministerial data integration, and supporting SDG7-aligned monitoring beyond binary energy access metrics.