The main cause of energy poverty in Romania is energy inefficiency, followed by the low minimum income of the population and only in the last phase is it related to the price, believes the Intelligent Energy Association (AEI).
Also, the anti-energy poverty policies carried out in the last 30 years were based almost exclusively on subsidies and regulated prices, an aspect that did not have the intended effect, and energy poverty increased.
“Romania is together with Lithuania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia among the countries with high energy poverty. In Romania, it can be seen that the main cause of energy poverty is energy inefficiency, followed by the low minimum income of the population and only in the last phase related to the price. However, in Romania the only energy measure applied was exclusively based on the decrease in gas prices, an element that did not stimulate the reduction of energy inefficiency (the main cause of energy poverty in Romania), but its increase, an aspect that maintained energy poverty and even accentuated the phenomenon”, it is stated in a press release of the organization.
According to the quoted source, analyzing the Energy Poverty Matrix from the AEI Study, the idea can be deduced that energy poverty is mainly determined by the low real incomes of Romanians, which have decreased in the last 3 years strongly eroded by inflation, and the high energy losses of buildings in Romania.
“Analyzing the situation of the prices actually paid according to Eurostat/AEI data for the population, for the period S1 2020 – S1 2023, we can see that Romania is placed in the EU on: 5th place in terms of the average natural gas price paid by the final consumer, after the compensation has been reduced carried out by the Romanian state; 12th place in the increase of prices actually paid by the population; 9th place in terms of the price level, actually paid by the population after reducing the compensations granted by the authorities; 21st place in the European top of the electricity price increase between 2020 and 2023 per population, if we consider the actual price paid by the population; 6th place in the increase of energy costs in gas and electricity contracts, in a household between S1 2020 – S1 2023; 22nd place in terms of resources allocated for the energy crisis”, the AEI document shows.
In 2022, Romanians had on average 93% higher household energy costs (natural gas and electricity) than in 2020, and in 2023 the costs were 83% higher.
Under these conditions, the measures proposed by AEI to reduce energy poverty in Romania are limiting energy inefficiency, increasing the population’s income and limiting the increase in gas and energy prices.
