1.3 million people in Czechia struggle to pay energy bills, study finds

About 1.3 million people in Czechia had trouble paying their energy bills last year, an increase of about 400,000 compared with the period before prices rose, primarily as a result of the war in Ukraine. This is according to a survey presented to journalists today by representatives of non-profit organisations and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV). The study says so-called energy poverty has long affected single mothers, low-income families and older women living alone in particular.

The concept of energy poverty covers people who cannot afford to heat their homes adequately, are in arrears on their energy bills, or spend at least 20 percent of their income on energy while also meeting poverty criteria. The study draws on data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) on living conditions in Czech households.

The study was conducted with the participation of the Housing Initiative, Hnutí Duha and the Platform for Social Housing. Jan Klusáček of the Housing Initiative said that, according to ČSÚ data, about 450,000 people could not afford adequate heating last year, about 180,000 were in arrears and nearly one million met the indicator for high energy costs. Some people may fall into more than one category. Czechia has about 4.5 million households, according to statistics, and the study estimates that energy poverty affects about 700,000 of them. The data also placed 300,000 children and 400,000 older people in at least one of the categories.

According to Klusáček, the groups most affected by energy poverty are single mothers, poor families and older women living alone. Tatiana Konrádová of MPSV said the ministry had launched a pilot project to address the issue, providing 70 selected households with advice on saving energy, including, for example, renting more energy-efficient appliances. She said it was essential to communicate with people at risk, as they are generally socially excluded households, and older people are often not in contact with the mainstream network of social services at all.

„Most of our clients have had some negative experience with public authorities or institutions,“ Konrádová added.

Major problems include people often not understanding their bills, not knowing how to save energy or being unfamiliar with the consumer market, she said. The project will run for three years and the ministry will expand it to hundreds of households. Plans also include cooperation with labour offices; the Ministry of the Environment to make energy-saving grants available to low-income households; energy suppliers to prevent households from falling into debt; and private partners to arrange the rental or donation of appliances.