Energy poverty of the least developed countries and whose more extreme weather conditions make everyday life tougher is an important issue to discuss. We are talking about places where temperatures are more extreme and both cold and heat require energy for heating or air conditioning.
It is not that we are talking or comparing a disease with energy poverty. But it is true that, on certain occasions, energy poverty can claim deaths. A year they die more than 7.000 people in countries where two out of ten households cannot turn on the heat, cook, or light up after dark due to the inability to pay their electricity bills.
An example close to this situation is that of Rosa, an 81-year-old woman who died from a fire which caused a burning candle that he used to light up. The reason for using the candles was neither romantic nor special. Rosa simply couldn't pay her electricity bill and had to live by candlelight. These cases will continue to increase as long as energy poverty is a real problem.
According to the Association for Environmental Sciences (ACA)This energy poverty is suffered by households that do not receive an adequate amount of energy services due to difficulties in paying the bill. The latest data obtained through the National Institute of Statistics (INE) say that 11% of families (about five million people) cannot warm up in the colder months because they cannot pay their electricity bills. It also highlights that 9,4% have delays when raising the electricity bill. In Spain since 2008 the price of the electricity bill has not stopped rising every year. In such a way that every time it becomes more inaccessible for all sectors of the Spanish population.
The effects of energy poverty go beyond just not being able to turn on the light, being able to eat or take a hot shower, or turn on the heat. This energy poverty is related to a higher prevalence of physical and mental illnesses - asthma, arthritis, rheumatism, depression or anxiety - and to the increase in mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among people over 60 years of age in winter. That is why the ACA has calculated an estimate of the deaths caused by energy poverty per year and they amount to 7.200. This figure is a lot higher than deaths caused by traffic accidents.
Thanks to organizations that are in charge of performing therapies to help people who cannot use light at home, such as Red Cross, the cases of death due to energy poverty do not increase much. For example, the Red Cross last year attended 16.887 homes to help them pay almost 30.000 electricity, gas and water bills, to which this organization allocated 4,3 million.
In recent months there has been an approach of companies in which they try to create agreements to ensure that no one is disadvantaged and unable to use electricity in their homes.
Companies like Endesa, they have reached 150 agreements with city councils, autonomous communities or NGOs, with which they have managed to cover 98% of their clients. They assure that of the half a million supply cuts that it made in 2015, none were affected by this type.
On the other hand, Iberdrola protects 99% of its subscribers from the interruption of the electricity or gas supply through the 44 agreements signed. In this way, it is tried that in cases of extreme cold or heat conditions, the elderly can have electricity to satisfy their needs.
This version contrasts with that of Messengers for Peace, whose CEO, Nieves Tirez, regrets the "dehumanization" of companies in most of the cases in which they intervene.
In conclusion, we can say that the poorest social class has to fight to be able to have more favorable energy conditions in their homes and that many political voices have to seek and find urgent measures so that there are no more cases like Rosa's.