Behavior Patterns, Energy Consumption and Comfort during COVID-19 Lockdown Related to Home Features, Socioeconomic Factors and Energy Poverty in Madrid

Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches,Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín,Ignacio Oteiza

doi:10.3390/su13115949

Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches, Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115949

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Abstract

During spring 2020, the world was shocked at the imminent global spread of SARS-CoV-2, resorting to measures such as domestic confinement. This meant the reconfiguration of life in an unusual space; the home. However, not all households experienced it in the same way; many of them were vulnerable. A general increase in energy consumption and discomfort in many cases, led these families to suffer the ravages of confinement. This study analyzes the energy and comfort situation for the Madrid (Spain) population, according to the configuration of the homes, the characteristics of the dwellings, the vulnerability index by district, and energy poverty (measured with the 10% threshold of energy expenditure of home incomes). The results show a greater exposure, in confinement, of vulnerable and energy-poor households to scenarios of discomfort in the home, to which they could not respond, while energy consumption inevitably increased. Driven by need, energy-poor homes applied certain saving strategies, mainly resorting to thermal adaptation with clothing. This study shows the risk these households experienced in the face of an extreme situation, and invites reflection on preventive and containment measures that aim to avoid harming the disadvantaged in the future; harm that would also entail serious consequences on the health of their cohabitants.

Highlights

The public health measures established at the global level have been based, to a greater or lesser extent, on confinements to isolate the population and protect it againstSARS-CoV-2
This situation has led to a concentration of household tasks, both daily and extraordinary, with housing becoming the nerve center of human activity for most
By means of a mixed and exploratory approach, the aim was to learn about the reality of Spanish households during lockdown and the conditions of their homes, and to assess the shortcomings and preferences detected in the face of such a singular and extreme situation, which in turn required a radical change in the use of spaces and domestic equipment

Summary

Introduction

The public health measures established at the global level have been based, to a greater or lesser extent, on confinements to isolate the population and protect it againstSARS-CoV-2. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5949 households around the world [1] This has brought with it numerous consequences on a social and economic, and environmental, level. Households usually have very different consumption profiles, depending on their composition and occupational habits [3,4,5]. In this sense, the greatest pressures are often borne by one-person households [6] and those headed by women [7,8]. Taking into account the unequal situation of these households in terms of economic income [9], quality of housing [10], and access to energy services [11], resources, and the internet, as well as other factors [12,13], they have had very different experiences depending on their possibilities [14]

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