Energy poverty is historically identified as a home heating problem that arises when households are unable to heat their homes to reach a minimum level of comfort due to financial hardship. However, in a context of climate change, where summers are increasingly hotter and there are increasingly frequent heat waves, there is also the crucial need for cooling, in part in terms of impact on the health of vulnerable consumers. We therefore need to redefine the concept of energy poverty by taking into account both summer and winter energy needs. This is particularly important in countries where there is a wide variety in climate, with large differences in heating and cooling needs in different areas. Among these, Italy is an excellent example, with climatic conditions that vary from quasi-North African in the southern areas to quasi-Scandinavian in the far north. This study analyzes energy poverty in winter and summer, with particular focus on Italy. In the first part, it discusses the definition of minimum energy requirements and the formulation of an energy poverty indicator. In the second part, these definitions are applied to 140 types of homes in Italy and the requirement is translated into a minimum supply cost for each home. The third part analyzes the impact of cooling both in energy terms and in relation to the purchase and installation of air conditioning systems (for the 64% of families who do not yet have one). Finally, the study shows the impact of cooling on the number of users in energy poverty, also considering the differences between the different areas and climate zones of the country. All this is linked by a discussion on how to support vulnerable consumers in the energy transition.