The European Union is facing an energy crisis that goes beyond mere resource scarcity. According to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), in 2023, 10.6% of the EU population could not adequately heat their homes. This represents an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Especially concerning is the situation in Spain, where 20.8% of the population could not keep their homes warm, making it one of the countries with the highest rates in the European Union. Portugal also records a similar rate, while Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Greece are also among the countries with the highest rates.
But the energy crisis is not exclusive to Europe. In Argentina, the situation is even more critical. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), in 2022, 35.4% of Argentine households did not have access to electricity or natural gas for heating. This represents a rate more than three times higher than that of the EU.
This situation leads us to a concerning concept that goes beyond income, and that is “energy poverty”, understood as the situation of a home when it is inefficient from an energy perspective, becoming one of the many forms that poverty takes in our country.
The role of the construction sector in home heating
It is important to highlight the role played by the construction sector in this crisis. Buildings and homes are responsible for a large part of energy consumption both in Europe and Argentina. Particularly in our country, 34% of the energy consumed corresponds to living spaces, mainly homes. Of that total, 50% is used for climate control. However, many of these buildings are not designed or constructed to be energy efficient. This means that buildings can lose heat in winter and gain heat in summer, increasing the demand for energy for heating and cooling.
The construction sector is also responsible for the lack of implementation of efficient thermal insulation materials in the construction of buildings and homes, which can help reduce the energy demand for climate control.
It is time for the construction sector to take measures to address the energy crisis and ensure that all homes achieve efficient use of the energy needed to stay thermally comfortable. This requires a combination of measures, including improving energy efficiency through the main demand reduction strategy, which is efficient thermal insulation when building or remodeling a building or home.
We cannot allow the energy crisis to continue affecting millions of people not only in Europe but also in Argentina. We have the resources to face this crisis.
Winter is approaching our country in a few months, and we have time to prepare not only to avoid feeling cold but also to save energy consumption. It’s time to act.
Author: Javier Maltz, President of Andima, National Association of Insulating Materials Industries
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