Energy poverty

Energy poverty is a term used in social policy and describes the connection between poverty and the cost of energy. On the one hand, he describes the rising energy costs as the risk of poverty and on the other hand, the difficulties of the poor in the industrialized countries to pay for the rising energy costs.

Germany

In Germany, there are - as in other industrialized countries - now a discussion about energy poverty.

Definition

For energy poverty there is in Germany not have a fixed definition. For preliminary orientation, a common in the UK definition of energy poverty are used. There, a household is considered to be low in energy, if he has to spend more than ten percent of his income for the purchase of energy to ensure 18 degrees Celsius in the main living room of 21 degrees Celsius and in the other rooms.

Causes

There are four main causes of energy poverty: The poor financial situation of the affected households, the energy standard of the residential buildings and the equipment with household appliances, inefficient practices and rising energy prices.

Poverty

The central cause of fuel poverty is poverty itself. Only in low-income households, the cost of electricity and gas can grow to threaten the existence of a factor. In Germany people are considered poor if they are on welfare or unemployment benefits, often in debt or living in precarious jobs short of the poverty line. The problem is that the lower price-adjusted wages have fallen. The income spread has increased so that, as the draft of the fourth poverty and wealth report, the Federal Government is to be taken from 2012. According to calculations by the German Institute for Economic Research, the bottom 40 percent of full-time employees would have shown real wage losses, while developing at the upper end of the distribution was particularly favorable. Also, the Economic and Social Research Institute shows with his calculations, that real wages 2000-2012 fell by 1.8 percent. Only the standard wages have developed positively.

Rising energy prices

A key factor in the emergence and development of energy poverty is the level of energy prices. In recent years, a significant price increase was due to the global energy markets to watch for all energy sources. This also used by households secondary energy carrier, a development that will be continued in all probability in the next few years were more expensive. Who needs to spend more for heating, hot water, lighting and operation of refrigerator and TV, has left less money for food, clothing or education. People in precarious employment and income just above the poverty line are of high energy prices often even more affected than families that live exclusively on social transfers; You are indeed receiving no transfer payments, for example, for school books or school trips for children and no loans for the equipment of the apartment.

Compared to the nominal wage, the prices of electricity, gas and heating oil are significantly increased faster than incomes. The increase is well above the inflation rate. Particularly striking is the development of oil prices. 2012, a record high was reached in the heating oil prices in many parts of Germany, with prices between 85 and 95 euros for a standard delivery (100 liters) were everywhere to watch. Ten years ago, the price was still around 35 euros. Oil heaters also indicate a trend to rising operating costs. By 2020 an increase in costs of fuel by 50 % compared to 2012 is expected. For 2030 a doubling of costs is forecast. Therefore, several million households threatens energy poverty through increased fuel prices.

Condition of the building, domestic appliances, routines

In the UK, the Environment Ministry has officially pointed to the close connection between inefficient building stock and low income. Arises also in Germany particularly where energy poverty where unrenovated buildings are inhabited by households with low -income. One reason for this is that the social authorities generally accept only the best available rental costs. Among the homes that are " reasonable " from the perspective of authority, are above average in poor condition. Typical are simple building from the 1950s, which have since been not thoroughly modernized, or those from the period in districts with a large need for modernization. In addition, the respective location of the apartment in the building affects the energy consumption considerably. Thus, the heat demand of a corner apartment in the attic can be 40 percent higher than that of an apartment in the middle of the same building. If the neighbor's apartment empty, must also be heated more.

Poverty households have experience, rarely efficient electrical appliances. A 20 year old refrigerator can be compared to a modern, fuel-efficient model can easily cost more than 100 euros in additional electricity; the same applies to freezers, tumble dryers and other large appliances. New devices usually do not have the money, and when an acquisition is unavoidable, Used Gege councils gekauft.So be manifested energy poverty in »Equipment Park ".

However, the technical standard is only one parameter. Equally important for the electricity and heat demand is user behavior. Different habits of heating and ventilation can cause differences in energy consumption of up to 50 percent in identical apartments with the same technical features. For an average household, the savings potential is through energy-aware user behavior at least ten percent - for instance, by the room temperature is reduced. Each saved degrees Celsius saving six percent on heating costs. It is also favorable, at night the temperature by five degrees lower and not to adjust the radiator by furniture.

Extent

How many people suffer from energy poverty in Germany, is recorded in any official statistics. Approx. 20 percent of the population are forced by exemplary calculations of the consumer center NRW, more than 13 percent of their disposable income on energy costs (electricity, heat and some fuel) aufzuwenden.Der Income and Expenditure Survey 2008, however, shows that the proportion of household expenditure on energy in the poorest households is 8.7 percent of the available household income.

An indicator of the extent of energy poverty is the number of supply locks.

From 100 € Payment residue the supply of energy can be set at four weeks in advance completion of notice and three days in advance -called Abschalttermin.

About 1.5 % of households are turned off due to accumulated debts to the utility company access to electrical energy by a power cut every year.

In 2010, of the 58 surveyed energy companies four million households were supplied with power, this sent three million reminders, sent out 340,000 blocking threats and finally put 62,000 households off the power.

2006, sent a year and a hundred meters between eleven and 80 reminders, average 39 supply locks, there were 0.6 to 3.7 per hundred meter and year, an average of 2.1.

Measures

In order to alleviate energy poverty, several proposals are introduced:

• Encourage the replacement of old by new heating systems, through a sharing of the costs to one third each between tenants, landlords and the state.
• Timed considering the higher cost of electricity in the " Hartz IV" rule sets
• Free energy advice to households in order to draw potential efficiency
• Protection against electricity and gas barriers, for example, by prepaid meters
• Scrappage scheme for high-consumption appliances and energy efficiency standards