According to the Living Conditions Survey, the number of affected households has grown significantly since 2012, almost tripling (the rate was 7.4%). For 25.7% of Basque households, mortgage, rental or heating costs are a heavy burden.
EC | EITB media
a 20.2% of households in the Basque Autonomous Community (CAV) and a 16.8% from Navarre couldn’t keep the temperature warm enough during the cold months of 2023, according to the Research into living conditions, the final data of which were published this Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The state average is 27.5%.
The percentage has grown significantly since 2012, while the country was in the midst of an economic crisis. Specifically, 11 years ago, 7.4% of households in the Basque Country claimed to suffer from energy poverty – referring to the inability to cover the costs of heating or cooling a home. The number of households has increased by more than 12 points, almost tripling. In Navarre, this percentage is more than double: it has risen from 7.7% in 2012 to 16.8% today.
However, more than one in five households (20.4%) say they have made improvements to their thermal insulation or heating system to improve conditions.
They have also increased the number of households saying they cannot offer a guarantee, although not by much cool enough temperature during summer. In 2012, the number of households claiming to have problems was less than 15% (14.3%), while in 2023 this was almost a quarter (24.7%). In the Foral community, a third of homes (32.9%) could not keep cool last summer; In 2012 they reached less than 25%.
Heating, mortgage and rental costs, a heavy burden for the 25%
More than a quarter of Basque households believe that mortgage or rent costs, heating and electricity are a heavy burden on their economy. For a large majority (65.7%), this is a “reasonable” burden and only 8.2% say it is not a burden at all.
Likewise, Basque families’ satisfaction with their homes has fallen slightly, as those who were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” last year made up 85.3% of the total, 6 tenths less than in 2012.
Of this percentage, 66.1% are satisfied with, among other things, the size of the home, the price and the neighborhood; 19.2% very satisfied; 11% somewhat dissatisfied and 3.5% very dissatisfied.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
