Extreme energy poverty: The aftermath of Lebanon’s economic collapse

Abstract

We collect primary data by conducting a survey on 931 Lebanese households who work in seven pre-specified sectors across all Lebanese governorates. The survey was supplemented by five groups of Key Informant Interviews that helped in formulating the survey questionnaire and in validating and interpreting the data from the survey. This paper aims to provide an assessment of the extent of energy poverty in Lebanon against comparators. Energy poverty is gauged using three indicators: (i) percentage of households able to keep their household warm, (ii) percentage of income spent on energy and, (iii) the low-income high-cost approach. Our findings uncover that Lebanese households suffer from the highest prevalence of energy poverty amongst comparators and, in absolute (rather than comparative) terms, a very high incidence of energy poverty. The findings underscore the dire need for measures that aim to mitigate the energy poverty of Lebanese households. We prescribe and discuss policy actions to alleviate the drastic situation which is further exacerbated by the ongoing crises. Our actionable policy recommendations are tailored to Lebanon’s specificities and cover the different relevant energy sectors; electricity, transportation, cooking, and heating.