Economic pressures from the coronavirus, coupled with the energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine conflict, have sharply increased the share of homes facing energy poverty. This trend is clearly reflected in the latest annual Eurostat survey released by the European Commission’s statistics arm, which shows that in 2022 a record 17.1% of Spanish households could not keep their homes warm. That rate stands as the highest in ten years for Spain, while the overall EU average sits at 9.3%, marking an increase of 2.4 percentage points from the previous year and explaining why many families struggle to maintain comfortable living conditions.
Eurostat data place Spain as the sixth-worst nation in terms of households unable to stay warm, although the country’s rank was slightly better than in the previous year. The burden fell most heavily on ordinary citizens who reported difficulty in keeping their homes at the proper temperature. Across the EU, Bulgaria led with 22.5% of the population affected, followed by Cyprus at 19.2%, Greece at 18.7%, Lithuania at 17.5%, and Portugal at 17.5%. In contrast, several countries posted comparatively low shares, including finance focused economies such as Estonia at 3.4%, Sweden at 3.3%, Czechia at 2.9%, Austria at 2.7%, Slovenia at 2.6%, Luxembourg at 2.1%, and others with rates around or below 2%.
The 2022 figures reflect a decade-long pattern where Spain typically recorded around 8% to 10% of its population experiencing insufficient home heating. The spike to 10.9% by 2020 followed the economic shock from the pandemic and had a more lasting impact on Spain than on many other European Union members, contributing to a broader energy affordability crisis across the bloc.
The consequences of 2020 did not abate in the subsequent years. A surge in energy prices began in spring 2021 and has remained elevated, with wholesale electricity and gas prices reaching extraordinary levels after the onset of the Ukraine conflict. In Spain, the link between wholesale electricity prices and consumer invoices has meant that households encountered substantial cost pressures. The effect of these prices varied by market structure: the regulated electricity market, shaped by government intervention, proved cheaper for some consumers of gas, while the free electricity market tended to be more favorable for others depending on their contract type.
social bonus
Eurostat’s findings align with a growing number of beneficiaries of social electricity support, pushing the share of households in the highest poverty bracket onto historic highs. The May data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition shows a total of 783,779 homes benefiting from targeted aid, underscoring the scale of energy hardship across the country.
The electric social bonus offers a discount on electricity bills ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent for eligible households. The reduction can rise to 65 percent or 80 percent as the year progresses, reflecting the persistent energy crisis. This benefit applies to regulated electricity contracts, known as the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers, and is tied to specific income thresholds. The program also integrates heating relief, with the cooling or heating controls designed to ease winter energy burdens for beneficiaries.
Two distinct social bonus categories exist based on poverty levels: vulnerable consumers and severely vulnerable consumers. Before the Ukraine war began in February 2022, around 605,523 households benefited from the first category and 591,549 from the second. A little more than a year later, by May 2023, the vulnerable category grew modestly to 679,196, while the severely vulnerable group rose sharply to 783,779, reflecting a steep increase in those most affected by energy costs.