The curtain falls on a year of great contradictions between the paradigm shift in the production perimeter and the uncertainties that stagnate in the employment area. Lights and shadows on the stage of an economy that seeks to survive history rather than complete it. Taxes, bureaucracy, high bills, cost of rent and a perpetual sense of precariousness grip the lives of many people.
Discomfort is made of ever larger colonies of human beings who struggle to manage the sustainability of family spending amidst chain landslides within the banks of the social resilience increasingly tested. The 2025 risks arising amid increases in electricity and gas which will make the lives of vulnerable families even more difficult. It’s not a feeling, since Arera (the’Regulatory authority for energy, networks and the environment) has already communicated that, due to the increase in gas, the electricity bills for users in greater protection they will suffer a 18.2% increase in the first quarter of the new year. And the first to have to worry will be them disadvantaged users.
Consumer complaint
In recent days, Massimiliano Donanational leader ofConsumers Unionhad reported, in his reading of inflation, a serious territorial difference in the reduction of the average prices in the electricity and gas bill. At a national level, the decline in November was 4.3%. But in Calabria the benefit had not even exceeded the 2%. «It is certainly negative that while the rumor spread throughout the country Electricity, gas and other fuels falls by 4.3% in November 2024 compared to November 2023, in Calabria it falls by less than half”, said Dona. Therefore, the risk is that the first gas bill of the new year can transform into an authentic one bloodletting for those who live in Calabria.
Energy poverty
The energy crisis and possible price increases risk having a negative impact on families with a shopping cart which will inevitably cost more. Above all, they will be the prices of the consumer goods to undergo possible increases. And higher prices will force waivers to ensure the maintenance of household accounts. A scenario that heralds a further increase in energy poverty.
The numbers recently provided byOipe (Italian Observatory on Energy Poverty) reveal the difficulties of Italian and, in particular, Calabrian families, in the year 2023. The new energy poor, in particular, are the “invisible”: hidden families, who do not reveal their difficulties in keeping radiators, fireplaces or stoves turned on to heat their homes because they do not have the financial capacity to cover the costs. An inconvenience that becomes incompatible with the temperatures of these times. The report ofOipe confirm the Calabria on the last step of the national ranking in terms of energy poverty, col 19.1% of families who cannot afford to live in a warm house. In practice, one in five families lives in the cold.
Confapi alarm
Suffering risks filling every home. But it’s not a great time for them either small and medium-sized enterprises. The regional leader of private SMEs, Francesco Napolihas no doubts: «In recent weeks there has been a rise in energy priceswith forecasts indicating a possible surge in gas prices starting in early 2025. Analysts estimate that prices could exceed 50 euros per megawatt houraccomplices persistent geopolitical tensionsparticularly in the Russian-Ukrainian and Middle Eastern contexts. The consequences will not be long in being felt.
The increase that will weigh on bills for the first quarter of 2025 is likely to have a significant impact on families and businessesalready dealing with a complex economic context and costs that are increasingly difficult to bear. For this reason, I suggest increasing the renewable: simplify procedures to accelerate the energy transition.
To address the challenges linked to rising energy prices and dependence on fossil fuels, one of the priorities must be strengthening of renewable energy. However, the growth of this sector is often slowed by complex bureaucratic processes and long authorization times. Simplifying procedures is essential to speed up the creation of new ones wind and photovoltaic systemsincluding woody biomass and other renewable sources, thus guaranteeing greater energy autonomy and a reduction in costs in the medium-long term.
In addition to facilitating the ecological transition, a leaner system can be attractive investmentscreate new ones jobs and help stabilize the energy market, protecting families and businesses from future crises.
THE’increase in the cost of energy will inevitably have a direct impact on the daily economy, causing an inflaming of prices which will be reflected on cost of living and on shopping cart. Energy represents a fundamental element for the processing, production, transport and conservation of consumer goods. The increase in tariffs results in higher costs for businesses, which inevitably fall on final consumers. Food products, basic necessities and essential services thus risk becoming increasingly costly for families.
In a context already characterized by ahigh inflationthis scenario could further aggravate the economic pressure on vulnerable groups of the population, making the adoption of structural measures to contain energy costs and encourage the transition towards more stable and sustainable sources».