What is Energy Poverty?

‘Energy poverty’ refers to a situation in which a person or a family is unable to meet their basic energy requirements. This involves problems such as inadequate heating and lighting of the house, inability to cook food, or inability to use basic technological devices. Lack of access to energy, in other words, decreases the quality of life.

Some countries use different criteria to measure this situation. One of the most commonly used definitions is as follows: If a family spends more than 10% of their earnings on energy, they are considered under the risk of energy poverty. This rate, however, can vary depending on the country and household income level.

Although energy poverty is usually considered as a problem merely of “not being able to pay the bills,” it actually indicates deeper structural inequalities. Lack of fair and equal distribution of basic energy rights.

And there is a difference between access to energy and energy poverty. Some households can technically access electricity; however, they are not able to use this source since their income levels are not enough. In other words, having electricity in a house does not mean that electricity can be used. Energy poverty starts exactly at this point.

Please check out our blog post titled Climate Crisis & Energy Management for further details!

As a multidimensional issue, energy poverty cannot be reduced to a single cause. This situation is affected by many factors such as income inequality, lack of infrastructure, energy policies, and housing conditions. Here are some of the most prominent causes:

1. High Energy Prices

Prices of resources such as electricity, natural gas, and coal have significantly increased in recent years. This increase makes life unsustainable for households with fixed or decreased incomes. Some families cannot turn on the heating boiler because they cannot pay the bills. They use electricity on the clock. This does not indicate merely a loss of comfort, it also means a health and safety risk.

2. Low Income and Social Inequality

Energy poverty is typically observed in households with low income. Therefore, this situation disproportionately affects especially women, elderly, unemployed, disabled, and migrant individuals. Sometime there occurs a difference in access to energy even between the individuals living in the same household.

3. Energy Inefficiency​

Most of the housings in Türkiye lack insulation. The heat inside cannot be protected due to old buildings, cracked windows, and lack of insulation. And this means that more energy has to be consumed to heat the same place. As such, efficiency decreases while bills increase. Moreover, many low-income households use old devices which consume more energy. New energy-efficient devices are costly to access. Therefore, energy poverty is not only an issue of income, but also a problem of infrastructure and technology.

Energy poverty is not an issue limited to not being able to pay the bills. The physical, mental and social impacts of this situation are wide-ranging. It threatens the health of individuals, education of children, and social equality eventually.

1. Impacts on Physical Health

Living in houses with inadequate heating brings with it many health problems. Cold environments can trigger respiratory disorders, muscle-skeleton issues, and heart diseases. This is a life-threatening risk, especially for elderly, babies, and individuals with chronic diseases. Mold forming in damp and cold houses increases respiratory problems such as asthma and allergy. Especially low temperatures also weaken the immune system. In conclusion, energy poverty creates an additional load on health care systems as well.

2. Mental and Social Impacts

Constantly living under restricted conditions has a negative impact on the individual psychology. Sitting in the cold, eating in the dark, or not being able to use the washing machine would make a person feel desperate and isolated. This situation can lead to problems such as depression and anxiety.

Moreover, energy poverty also constricts social life. Situations such as not being able to host guests or children not being able to bring their friends home would lead to social exclusion.

3. Deepening of Social Inequalities

Energy poverty deepens current social inequalities even more. This situation affects women more since they generally spend more time inside the house. Children fall behind in education since they do not have a healthy studying environment.

Furthermore, the gap between urban and rural areas also grows. People living in rural areas fall victim to this problem even more since energy infrastructure is weaker in these areas. Thus, energy poverty becomes not only an individual inequality, but also a regional injustice.

Energy poverty is a multidimensional problem that cannot be addressed solely through social assistance measures. It is essential to integrate structural, technological, and social policies to develop sustainable long-term solutions. Below are some effective solutions for this problem:

●      Energy Efficiency Investments

Energy efficiency is one of the fundamental tools in tackling energy poverty. Building insulation in particular is the most direct way to prevent heat loss. These investments should be prioritized in public buildings, social housing, and disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Additionally, access to energy-efficient devices should be supported. Government-backed transformation programs can be initiated to renew refrigerators, heaters, or lighting systems which consume considerable amounts of energy. These kinds of applications not only decrease energy bills but also reduce carbon emissions.

Please check out our blog post titled ‘What is Energy Efficiency?’ from here.

●      Social Aid Systems

Support for energy is currently provided by some municipalities and public institutions. These aids, however, are irregular, temporary, and not based on data most of the time. An integrated system with energy consumption data should be established in order to identify real households in need.

Moreover, supports should be presented not only in cash, but in diversified forms such as bill discount, fuel aid, and energy consultancy.  Consequently, individuals who receive assistance may experience a reduced burden, while the sustainability of the system can be maintained.

Collective solutions are important since energy poverty is not only an individual problem, but also a structural issue. Energy cooperatives and neighborhood-type solar panel systems are promising in this sense. Communities living in the rural areas or social facilities of municipalities can produce their own energy. Thus, foreign dependency may be decreased while energy costs may be reduced. These systems should be supported in terms of initial investment cost and established in such a way that enables them to be self-sufficient in the long run.

Energy poverty represents one of the most pressing yet understated crises of our time. Children shivering in the cold, houses left without power, elderly getting lonelier in the dark... These are not merely individual dramas, they are also the areas in which social justice is tested. Today, access to electricity is still uncertain, costly, and unsecured for millions of people.

Addressing this issue requires more than just the provision of aid packages. Buildings should be insulated, investments should be made in renewable energy, targeted social policies should be developed. Also, local governments and communities should actively participate in this process.

Access to energy is not merely a matter of convenience; it is a fundamental human right essential for life. Safeguarding this right is a duty that rests not only with the government but with each of us as well. Because an equal, just, and sustainable future can only be realized by safeguarding this right.