In 2022, the energy crisis will lead to more and more low-energy households. Research organization TNO has calculated that 602,000 households suffer from energy poverty, 90,000 more than in 2020. The number is 1 in 13 digits in the Netherlands.
In its Energy Poverty Analysis of the Netherlands 2022, TNO states that energy poverty has been averted in around 400,000 households thanks to the government’s financial compensation measures.
In 2022, it is estimated that one in five households with a very poor household in 2020 will be a low-energy household with a child. TNO researcher Peter Mulder: “Energy prices have increased by 5 times. It’s so high that the salary can’t keep up. It still helped.
All kinds of financial compensatory measures, such as the energy surcharge, the reduction in energy and value added tax, and the general special discount of 190 euros in November and December, have significantly inhibited the increase in energy poverty. Without this support, 400,000 more households would fall into energy poverty and the total number of energy poor households across the country would be more than one million, or 1 in 8 households.
Most low-energy households live in northeastern Groningen and southern Limburg, as well as in certain areas such as Rotterdam, The Hague, Arnhem, Almelo and Enschede.
The country’s outskirts are also very short of fuel, and researcher Mulder explains this by the fact that these areas have much larger homes. “Of course it is more expensive to heat. There are also relatively many low-income households and poorly insulated apartments there.”
TNO also calculated the average household energy bill based on the average annual price. This softens the peaks and valleys.
Saving energy, providing economical heating and light by dimming central heating and taking shorter showers has made only a modest contribution to preventing energy poverty for an estimated 40,000 households.
poorly insulated houses
The largest increase in fuel poverty is seen in households with the poorest and least sustainable homes. An estimated two-thirds of all low-energy homes, about 415,000 homes, are under-lived and nearly three bars are on fire. Sustainability is not an option for most people because they have no money or control over the flat as tenants.
68 percent of low-energy households live in a rented apartment from a housing association, about 20 percent rent from a private individual, and about 12 percent own their own home. The large proportion of housing cooperatives among low-energy households can be explained by the fact that housing cooperatives mainly offer social rental housing for low-income households.
Researcher Mulder has other recommendations to the Cabinet on this matter. “Put the focus on sustainability on the worst homes, those labeled F and G. Consider insulation first of all, because measures like solar panels and heat pumps are less useful if the heat flies out of the house. Housing associations also play a leading role. Once the government gets rid of the landlord fee, they have more budgets for sustainability.”
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
