Over 250,000 Austrians struggling with energy costs

Socially disadvantaged households in Austria spend an average of over twice their income share on energy costs despite a lower consumption rate, a study of the Austrian Institute for Sustainable Development (OeIN) revealed Thursday.
The study titled "Energy Poverty in Austria" conducted on 402 Austrian households found that the 263,000 people living in Austria who have difficulty affording heating spend 11 percent of their income on energy, while the national average is 4.8 percent of income.
President of Caritas Austria Michael Landau said poorer persons must thus make decisions on whether they spend their money on food, heating, or clothing, Der Standard newspaper reported.
Additionally the poor are also affected by an interplay between low income, low energy efficiency of their household, and high energy prices.
Wolfgang Anzengruber, CEO of energy company Verbund AG, said an effective measure to help these households is to provide energy consulting, exchange energy equipment in the household, and provide temporary financial assistance, which he said had already helped 2,500 families.
The 402 socially disadvantaged households involved in the study have received assistance through the Pilot Project Against Energy Poverty, though Landau called for further government investment beyond the project.