Energy vulnerability – Far from the urban centres, heating and fuel place a heavy burden on the budget

For 15% of households living in Metropolitan France, the proportion of income devoted to heating dwellings and to hot water is high, as it is twice the median affordability ratio. Using the same criteria, 10% of households have very high costs in relation to their budget for their most important car journeys. In all, 22% of households are in a situation of "energy vulnerability" for one or other of these consumptions, or 5.9 million households; 3% of households are even in this situation for both types of expenses, or 700,000 households. The risk of vulnerability varies across the territory depending on the item of expenditure concerned: the climate is the first disparity factor for vulnerability in relation to housing, whereas it is the distance from urban centres for travel-related expenses.