Jerusalem, 4 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — To reduce the phenomenon of “energy poverty” the Western Negev Cluster, the Sderot Municipality and the Community Unit, in cooperation with the “Tnufa BeKhiylah” association, the Heschel Center for Sustainability and the Israeli Green Building Council, and with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure – decided to promote a pilot for acclimatizing social housing in the city of Sderot in the Negev with the aim of promoting a systemic solution. As part of the activity, professional teams enter apartments and buildings and, after a tour, carry out a series of actions to “acclimatize” the home.
Approximately 20% to 30% of households pay high electricity bills each month, not necessarily due to wasteful consumption patterns, but rather due to the physical and functional characteristics of the home itself. When the building does not provide sufficient thermal insulation in the outer walls and windows, and when the heating, cooling, and hot water systems are outdated or inefficient, increased electricity use is required to allow for proper acclimatization and maintain basic, comfortable, and healthy conditions of use inside the home.
The result is a high monthly expense, and sometimes also a real difficulty in maintaining proper living conditions throughout the seasons. Energy poverty is a situation in which the household has difficulty ensuring, at a reasonable cost and in accordance with its financial capacity, a level of acclimatization and adequate domestic conditions of use, including a reasonable indoor temperature, sufficient lighting, hot water, and the proper functioning of basic household needs.
In this sense, energy poverty does not stem only from the level of income, but also from the thermal and functional quality of the apartment.