The Drama Of Energy Poverty
According to Reddy, cited by Gonzales (2014), energy poverty can be defined as the “lack of sufficient alternatives to access adequate, economical, reliable, non-hazardous and sustainable environmental energy services in order to support economic development and human”.
This definition is not the only one that exists. According to the Association of Environmental Sciences, energy poverty corresponds to the situation in which a household is unable to pay for a sufficient amount of energy to meet its domestic needs. This is the case when individuals are forced to devote an excessive proportion of their income to paying the energy bill associated with their household.
It is important to understand that this phenomenon includes expenses for air conditioning, lighting, cooking, hot water consumption, etc. It is therefore a very concrete concept of poverty that stands out from social exclusion or social vulnerability that can be the consequences of another type of poverty.
Some households may find themselves in a situation of energy poverty without risking exclusion. However, energy poverty can be the starting point of a more serious situation approaching social exclusion.
So, although indicators and formulas exist to give us an order of magnitude, the concept is far from easily measurable. We are in fact faced with something subjective. It is a type of poverty that will depend on the income of household members, the resources desired in each family to meet its needs, the specific climate, etc.
Vulnerable people
Although energy poverty affects almost all collectives, some are more likely to be victims:
- Youth
- The elderly
- People in a situation of dependency
- Patients with chronic illnesses
Causes and consequences
Now that the concept has been clearly laid out, it is time to state the causes and consequences of energy poverty:
- Low income within the household
- Insufficient quality of housing
- High energy prices
- Increase in the prices of other resources: clothing, food, etc.
Gonzalez (2014) and Bruel y Gende (2018) presented us with the consequences and effects of energy poverty:
- Greater prevalence of certain physical illnesses (especially cardiac, immunological, respiratory and presence of rheumatism), and of certain mental illnesses
- Increased mortality rate, especially during winter
- Use of economical but deficient heating systems which causes degrading effects in the homes. Be aware that the use of unsafe heating methods can lead to dangerous combustions.
- Households that instead choose to spend more money on paying for non-hazardous heating systems see their economic capacity to fuel themselves reduced
- In minors and / or people who study, this may imply a lower academic performance
- Energy poverty has an impact on economic sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, work that is developed with machines, etc.
Conclusions
Although poverty is multidimensional, energy poverty is something that affects more and more families. It is important to understand that this type of poverty, like other types of poverty that exist, affects families with the fewest resources and who are the least solvent.
It is therefore necessary to think about taking emergency measures in order to deal with the problem at the root. There is no point in hiding the situation, people must be provided with the resources so that they can live with dignity.
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