The behind-the-scenes story of 2022 energy and inflationary crises: data, experiences and opinions of Spanish vulnerable households

Abstract

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a profound economic impact in Europe. In this context of energy and inflationary crises, the EU and its Member States implemented different mitigation strategies.However, when these policies were implemented, the ‘real-time’ situation and the reaction of European households to this shocking crisis were unknown. This paper aims to shed light on what this emergency has meant for vulnerable groups. The study explores the situation of the households assisted by the Spanish Red Cross using a mixed methodology of quantitative (primary data survey, N=1557) and qualitative (focus groups, N=45) research. Thus, this article combines data, experiences and opinions of this vulnerable collective, the NGO technical staff and experts from academia.The results unveil complex and ambivalent circumstances concerning energy vulnerability in this population. The most pressing problem arising from both analyses was the inability to maintain comfort at home in both winter and summer. These two seasonal faces of energy poverty are linked to the poor quality of their dwellings and energy services. Moreover, other contributing factors are their socio-economic situation and high energy prices, which pushed more than 90 of these households to cut off or reduce heating consumption during the 2022-2023 winter. Eventually, this paper highlights how this population employs different coping strategies, which affect their quality of life. Eventually, the paper’s findings and recommendations from experts and technicians might support relevant stakeholders in addressing energy poverty during emergencies, thus contributing to the pursuit of a just energy transition.