Los indicadores, que se pueden consultar en la web del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, reflejan una mejoría con relación al ejercicio de 2020: tres de los cuatro indicadores de referencia tienen una evolución positiva.
La actualización anual de los indicadores permite al Gobierno avanzar en la política de protección de los consumidores vulnerables, ámbito en el que ya ha desplegado un amplio abanico de medidas, reforzado para afronta la crisis energética derivada de la guerra en Ucrania. Así, por ejemplo, la factura eléctrica de los hogares vulnerables con bono social es similar a la que abonaban antes de la crisis.
El informe, disponible aquí, explica y analiza la evolución en 2021 de la pobreza energética por medio de cuatro indicadores. Se registra mejoría en el indicador de la pobreza energética escondida, en el de gasto desproporcionado y el de retraso en el pago de las facturas de los suministros de la vivienda, y un aumento de las viviendas con temperatura inadecuada en invierno.
The Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) recently released the results of its annual survey on energy poverty in 2021. According to the survey, nearly four million households in Spain, approximately 10% of all households in the country, experienced some kind of energy poverty in 2021.
Energy poverty is a serious problem in Spain, as it can lead to health issues and financial difficulties. Energy poverty occurs when a household is unable to meet their energy needs in a safe and healthy manner due to an inadequate level of energy services, or energy consumed in an unsustainable way. It is closely related to economic vulnerability, as households need to use a disproportionate amount of their income to buy energy, as prices can be higher for vulnerable customers.
The main causes of energy poverty in Spain are low income, lack of financial education, energy efficiency problems in the dwelling and inappropriate energy-saving practices. As such, the government has implemented various measures to tackle the issue, such as providing energy efficiency subsidies to low-income households and improving energy education for vulnerable population groups.
The study also shows that, despite the efforts made by the government, the situation has not improved in recent years. This is mainly due to the increasing burden of energy prices and the lack of an effective public policy to promote energy efficiency.
The urgent need to address these issues is highlighted by the fact that, while the number of households experiencing energy poverty has increased, the number of households facing the risk of energy poverty has also increased considerably. This implies that many households already experiencing energy poverty may soon join those at risk of energy poverty.
Therefore, it is essential that the Spanish government takes additional and effective measures to reduce the effects of energy poverty and prevents more households from falling into it. In this regard, the implementation of policies to promote energy efficiency, offering financial aid to vulnerable families and incentivizing energy saving practices are among the main steps that should be taken in order to guarantee energy access for all Spanish citizens.
