世界银行-理解和解决罗马尼亚的能源贫困问题：探索结构和行为约束的作用（英）-2024-154页_7mb

Energy Poverty in Romania: Analysis and Mitigation Strategies

This report analyzes Romania's energy poverty situation and explores structural and behavioral barriers, welfare impacts of rising energy prices, and policy interventions. Energy poverty affects approximately 25% of Romania's population, with households spending an average of 8.7% of their income on energy. Low-income groups, the elderly, and rural populations are disproportionately affected.

Key Findings on Energy Poverty

• Prevalence: Around 25% of Romanians experienced energy poverty in 2021, defined as spending more than 10% of household income on energy.
• Structural Barriers: Energy inefficiency in housing and reliance on polluting fuels (e.g., wood, coal) drive high energy costs. About one-quarter of households in the poorest income quintile use traditional heating methods.
• Behavioral Factors: Low awareness of subsidy programs and trust in government reduces uptake of energy-efficient technologies. About 44% of Romanians are unaware of available support programs.
• Welfare Impacts: A 40% energy price increase could raise the energy poverty rate by 2.3 percentage points. Single-elderly households and pensioners experience the most severe impacts.

Policy Recommendations

• Income Support: Targeted cash transfers to single-elderly households and pensioners can reduce poverty and the poverty gap by up to 30%.
• Energy Efficiency: Expand renovation programs for low-income and rural areas, using behavioral insights to improve program uptake.
• Subsidy Improvements: Simplify application processes for energy subsidies and increase transparency to address leakage.
• Communication: Use trusted messengers (e.g., technicians) to raise awareness about sustainable energy transitions.

Addressing energy poverty requires a combination of short-term income support and long-term energy efficiency investments, along with behavioral interventions to overcome adoption barriers.