Almost one in five people are living in fuel poverty.
This is one of the latest findings from TASC (Think-tank for Action on Social Change) who launched their report, ‘The state we are in: inequality in Ireland 2022’ today.
The soaring cost of living, and in particular the spiralling energy costs for homes, is now seeing 17.5% of people spending more than 10% of their income on energy bills.
Read More: Cost of living poll: Tell us how inflation is affecting you and your family
The 10% threshold is the measure for fuel poverty.
The report’s authors were Dr Robert Sweeney and Dr Donald Storrie.
They said: “As to the cost of living crisis, lower-income households have been affected more because they spend more of their income on energy.
“The recent measures introduced to alleviate the cost of living crisis have moderated the impact, but they should be better targeted at those in need.”
The authors added: “The major contributor to inflation has obviously been energy, which has increased by 43.8% over the last year.
“As energy is a necessity, all households consume it so that it comprises a larger share of low-income households’ budgets, given their lower incomes.
“Being a necessity means that energy consumption is less subject to change in the face of rising prices.
“Another factor that elevates lower-income households’ energy use is their comparatively poor standard of accommodation, which tends to be less well-insulated than high-income housing.
“Combined, these factors explain why the poor have suffered most under rising cost of living pressures.”
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