“I had to choose between paying for the electricity or eating”

“I had to choose between paying for the electricity or eating”. The recent hikes in electricity prices have left thousands of families in Spain in dire straits. Both expats and Spaniards alike have been hit by the price increases.

Just one example of the hardest hit is Juani, who is 50 years old and lives in Seville. She suffers from sleep apnoea and has to wear a mask every night attached to a respirator that needs to be plugged in to keep her alive.

As reported by 20 minutes, one morning Juani realised that there was no light in the house, and feared that the electricity company had finally cut her off as she had not been able to pay her bills for several months.

Luckily this time though it was just a thunderstorm that had hit and knocked out the electricity temporarily. She is worried though that once the restrictions on cutting of electricity supplies end on October 31, she will be cut off for good.

“My problem is that, one day, I had to choose between paying for the electricity or eating” said Juani.

Many other families are in similar situations, and have not been able to keep pace with the increasing electricity prices, so have defaulted on payments recently.

“From the very moment my electricity is cut off, my life would be in danger,” said Juani.

“There are many families in the same conditions as me, the government has to put a limit on the big electricity companies because everyone has the right to decent housing and that is not just a roof over their heads, it also means having electricity, water and basic necessities covered.

“The only solution for us is to forgive the debt of vulnerable people and, above all, we need a public company. Just as education is public and hospitals are public, so is electricity.”

One expat told EWN, “electricity prices just keep increasing and I am getting worried. Hopefully things will be slightly better now August is over and it is not so hot. I will not need the aircon so much and hopefully the bills will drop”.

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