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Date Published: 09/11/2021
ARCHIVED - Almost 11 per cent of people in Spain cannot heat their homes
Electricity and gas prices continue to soar in Spain and throughout Europe
With winter fast approaching people in Spain are turning their attention to heating systems with some trepidation given the skyrocketing prices of both gas and electricity. With costs spiralling ever upward, it is unsurprising that 10.9% of the population simply cannot afford to keep their homes warm.
According to a survey published on Friday November 5 by Eurostat, the situation has changed significantly since 2019, when 7.5% of the population was financially struggling to heat their houses. The highest percentage ever recorded was 11.1% in 2014.
On Monday November 8, the vice president of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calvino, reminded consumers that the government in Spain approved a measure at the end of October to increase the minimum amount of aid available to vulnerable people for heating, which amounts to an average of 90 euros per beneficiary.
The situation is not unique to Spain, however, with Eurostat indicating that 8.2% of the population of the European Union cannot keep their homes warm. The data correspond to the continuous rises in the wholesale electricity market, which this week have reached 200 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in Spain, something which President Pedro Sánchez has been battling with the EU over for months.
Countries that find it the most difficult to heat their homes are Bulgaria, at 27.5%, closely followed by Lithuania (23.1%) and Cyprus (20.9%). On the other hand, the populations of Switzerland (0.3%), Norway (0.8%) and Austria (1.5%) struggle the least.
The evolution of the energy crisis remains bleak, with many experts warning that the inflated prices will remain well into the middle of next year.
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