“Energy poverty increases and slows down the energy transition”, warns the Energy Mediator
More and more households are faced with “thermal discomfort” in summer and winter. Those under 35 are the most exposed, warns the National Energy Ombudsman Bernard Doroszczuk.
The rise in prices of gas, electricity and fuel oil has serious negative consequences on household budgets. More than a third had difficulty paying certain energy bills, compared to 18% in 2020, according to data from the latest Energie-info barometer from the National Energy Mediator, published this Tuesday. This one, Bernard Doroszczuk, warns of the fact that these difficulties in honoring bills are also an obstacle to the energy transition.
“The decline in the purchasing power of precarious households hampers their ability to invest. They are less and less inclined to spend money to electrify their uses, due to a lack of means to do so,” he underlines. Those under 35 are particularly exposed, while they are also the most numerous to say they are in favor of switching to electric, whether this concerns the installation of a heat pump or the purchase of a battery car.
In fact, 55% of those under 35 have difficulty paying their bills, compared to 34% for the average French person. In other words, it is difficult to incur heavy expenses when it is already complicated to meet daily expenses. Even if their aim is to lower bills.
To escape this vicious circle, Bernard Doroszczuk recommends maintaining aid for the most precarious, in particular to improve the insulation of housing. An essential way to fight against the winter cold, but also against summer heat waves. The Energy Mediator also warns of an undesirable effect of energy saving certificates (EEC).
These have an impact on the energy bills of all French people. However, according to Bernard Doroszczuk, only some of them, the wealthiest, are able to invest in insulation work and in the electrification of their homes, and therefore to benefit from aid financed by the EECs. To rebalance the situation, new forms of support could be put in place, financed for example through savings made after insulation work.
“If nothing is done, the risk of seeing a two-speed energy transition is real,” concludes Bernard Doroszczuk.
Machine-translated from French
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- Le Figaro3 Nov, 08:00
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