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Do unemployment benefits and economic aids to pay electricity bills remove the energy poverty risk of Spanish family units during lockdown? A study of COVID-19-induced lockdown

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  • Bienvenido-Huertas, David

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered serious economic crises in many countries. In Spain, millions of individuals have been ordered to remain at home and many are unemployed. The increased use of electrical appliances and low incomes make energy poverty highly likely. This study thus analyses the effectiveness of unemployment benefits and social measures to help Spanish family units pay their electricity bill during the COVID-19-induced lockdown in Spain (March–May 2020) and during a hypothetical lockdown in winter and summer. The results showed that the unemployment aids can contribute to alleviating energy poverty, especially if the unemployed individual worked in a poorly-paying job or for just a few hours. However, the social measures were found insufficient to avoid energy poverty. The application of a variable discount percentage in the electricity bill based on income and the month of the year would reduce energy poverty risk during further incidences of lockdown.

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  • Bienvenido-Huertas, David, 2021. "Do unemployment benefits and economic aids to pay electricity bills remove the energy poverty risk of Spanish family units during lockdown? A study of COVID-19-induced lockdown," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:150:y:2021:i:c:s0301421520308284
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.112117
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    3. Cheng, Zhiming & Guo, Liwen & Smyth, Russell & Tani, Massimiliano, 2022. "Childhood adversity and energy poverty," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Bienvenido-Huertas, David & Sánchez-García, Daniel & Rubio-Bellido, Carlos & Marín-García, David, 2024. "Holistic analysis to reduce energy poverty in social dwellings in southern Spain considering envelope, systems, operational pattern, and income levels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    5. Russo, M.A. & Ruivo, L. & Carvalho, D. & Martins, N. & Monteiro, A., 2021. "Decarbonizing the energy supply one pandemic at a time," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    6. Simionescu, Mihaela & Radulescu, Magdalena & Cifuentes-Faura, Javier & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel, 2023. "The role of renewable energy policies in TACKLING energy poverty in the European UNION," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    7. Yu, Chenyang & Moslehpour, Massoud & Tran, Trung Kien & Trung, Lam Minh & Ou, Jenho Peter & Tien, Nguyen Hoang, 2023. "Impact of non-renewable energy and natural resources on economic recovery: Empirical evidence from selected developing economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Bagnoli, Lisa & Bertoméu-Sánchez, Salvador, 2022. "How effective has the electricity social rate been in reducing energy poverty in Spain?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    9. Pereira, Diogo Santos & Marques, António Cardoso, 2023. "How do energy forms impact energy poverty? An analysis of European degrees of urbanisation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    10. Shahzad, Umer & Gupta, Mansi & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Rao, Amar & Chopra, Ritika, 2022. "Resolving energy poverty for social change: Research directions and agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    11. Xiahui Che & Minxing Jiang, 2021. "Economic Policy Uncertainty, Financial Expenditure and Energy Poverty: Evidence Based on a Panel Threshold Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-12, October.
    12. Indre Siksnelyte-Butkiene, 2022. "Combating Energy Poverty in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Global Economic Uncertainty," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, May.

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