Energy: ENEA estimates over 2.3 million Italian households in energy poverty

Energy poverty is on the rise in Italy, even if slightly. According to the latest data made available by ENEA for the annual report of the Italian Observatory on Energy Poverty (OIPE), between 2016 and 2018 the phenomenon affected approximately 40 thousand more families, a  0.1% growth annually, equivalent to 8.8% at national level.

More generally, the energy poverty map drawn up with the same index as the PNIEC, the National Energy and Climate Plan, highlighted that southern regions, over-five-person-households, households headed by a reference person under 35 and households headed by a female over 50 are mostly affected.

The ENEA computation for the Annual Report on Energy Efficiency for 2020 and the OIPE Report, based on Istat data, showed that residents in the southern regions of Italy are at greatest risk, particularly Campania, Calabria and Sicily, where in 2018 between 13% and 22% of the population was in energy poverty, a figure much higher than the national 8.8%. The scenario does not change even taking into account regional characteristics linked to different living cost or average level of energy expenditure.

A higher risk is also associated with household size. Across the Country, the number of large households in energy poverty is more than double that of single-person households, and about four points higher than two-person households.

Households with relatively young reference persons have higher rates of energy poverty. In 2018, the age group with the highest rate was "up to 35 years", regardless of whether the reference person was male or female. In these cases, energy poverty was close to 11%. Age groups over 51 showed percentages below the national average.

A gender comparison, which showed no overall sex differences, highlighted a disadvantage in households headed by women in the age range between 51 and 70 years. But, if in two-to-four-person households headed by men over 51 energy poverty rates ranged between 7% and 8%, in a household headed by a woman of the same age the rate rised to 10% -13%.

The 2017 National Energy Strategy (SEN), referred to in the Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate for 2020 (PNIEC), defines " energy poverty" as a condition in which “individuals or households lack access to a basket of basic energy goods and services” , or who are  in a condition “whereby access to energy services implies a resource distraction, in terms of income or expenditure, above a socially acceptable level”.

"In a nutshell, this is a 'trilemma' resulting from a combination of income poverty, poor energy efficient homes and high energy prices", Ilaria Bertini, Head of the ENEA Energy Efficiency Department pointed out.

In particular, the tax deductions for building requalification (Ecobonus and Superbonus 110%) and the Thermal Account can help counteract this phenomenon", Bertini said. "A further boost is expected from the Recovery Plan, which currently envisages approximately 30 billion euro for energy efficiency and requalification of buildings", she concluded.

For more information please contact:

Alessandro Fiorini, ENEA - Monitoring Energy Policies for Energy Efficiency Laboratory, alessandro.fiorini@enea.it