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National Strategy Against Energy Poverty
Royal Decree-Law 15/2018, of 5 October, on urgent measures for the energy transition and consumer protection, established the obligation for the Government to adopt a national strategy against energy poverty. In compliance with this mandate, the National Strategy Against Energy Poverty (ENPE, in its Spanish acronym) 2019–2024 was approved by the Council of Ministers on 5 April 2019. This was the first comprehensive strategy aimed at laying the foundations for an in-depth and cross-cutting diagnosis of the incidence and evolution of energy poverty in Spain, as well as defining measures to reduce the number of affected households within the 2019–2024 timeframe.
National Strategy against Energy Poverty 2019–2024 (PDF)
Among the lines of action defined in the ENPE, particular emphasis was placed on the need to deepen knowledge of the energy expenditure required and actually incurred by households, taking into account variables such as housing type, size, available equipment, number of occupants, and the climatic zone in which the dwelling is located. This requirement was addressed under the section “Implementation Measures of the National Strategy Against Energy Poverty”, within Line 3 “Deepening Knowledge of the Energy Expenditure Required for Different Consumers” under Axis I “Improving Knowledge of Energy Poverty.”
In response, two studies were carried out, published as follows: the “Study on Energy Consumption and Expenditure of Spanish Households” and the “Diagnosis of Energy Poverty in Spain: Main Results from a Household Panel.”
Study on Energy Consumption and Expenditure of Spanish Households
The Study on Energy Consumption and Expenditure of Spanish Households analyzes household energy consumption and expenditure using a series of household and housing variables. It develops an explanatory model based on microdata from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute, covering the period 2016–2022, applying a statistical approach combined with machine learning algorithms.
Study on Energy Consunption and Expenditure of Spanish Households (PDF)
Energy Poverty Monitoring Study
The Energy Poverty Monitoring Study was launched in June 2022 with the aim of improving current knowledge of the energy vulnerability of Spanish households.
The study requires the collection of information on household energy consumption and expenditure, as well as on the main variables affecting their energy well-being, over a period of three years. This involves, on the one hand, measuring the key consumption parameters that determine thermal comfort in a representative sample of households, and on the other, conducting surveys on the characteristics of dwellings, available equipment, and energy-use habits.
To carry out this work, the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) awarded a public tender to the consortium “EAPN España–ACA–CSIC–UC3M,” formed by the European Anti-Poverty Network in Spain (EAPN-ES), the Environmental Sciences Association (ACA), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), and the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Sciences (IETcc) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
The study, which is currently under development, is expected to conclude at the end of 2026. Once completed, a final report will be published providing a comprehensive analysis of all results obtained. In the meantime, the following interim publication is available:
Diagnosis of Energy Poverty in Spain: Main Results from a Household Panel (PDF)
This interim report presents the main results obtained during the first two and a half years since the study began. These results shed light on the characteristics and energy behaviour of the household panel under analysis, revealing situations of vulnerability in comparison to the national average. The preliminary findings are based on initial and follow-up surveys conducted to date, measurements carried out, as well as the analysis of both actual and required energy expenditure to achieve adequate thermal comfort conditions.
New National Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty 2026-2030
In January 2025, the participatory process for the development of the National Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty (ENPE) for the period 2026-2030 began, with a prior public consultation held between January 24 and February 28, 2025. Likewise, during the second half of 2025, active listening procedures were carried out with vulnerable consumers, as well as technical workshops with experts from civil society, private companies, the third sector, and academia. Finally, between September 12 and October 10, 2025, the process for submitting comments on the draft of the new Strategy was open, and it was finally approved on February 17, 2026.
Nueva Estrategia Nacional de lucha contra la Pobreza Energética 2026-2030 (New National Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty 2026-2030)
The ENPE 2026-2030 is intended as a comprehensive instrument to reduce energy vulnerability and guarantee equitable access to energy under conditions of affordability, security, and sustainability, prioritizing and specifying action on those pillars identified as critical.
The proposal includes measures to consolidate the progress made by the ENPE 2019-2024 and to strengthen a new generation of public policies based on the idea of energy equity, with the aim of guaranteeing universal, secure, affordable, and sustainable access to energy as a basic right and a necessary condition for a dignified life.
Simultaneously with its approval, the following have been made public:
Preliminary market consultations for Red-Actúa:
- Apoyo en la creación y mantenimiento de oficinas de atención a colectivos vulnerables en situación de pobreza energética y del transporte (Support for the creation and maintenance of offices to assist vulnerable groups in situations of energy and transport poverty)
- Formación y apoyo a agentes cualificados en la atención a la pobreza energética y del transporte (Training and support for qualified agents in addressing energy and transport poverty)