In 2022 we will spend over 1,850 euros each on electricity, gas and fuel alone. This was revealed by an analysis by the Confcommercio Research Office on the compulsory expenditure of families between 1995 and 2022. Out of a total consumption per year of over 19 thousand euros per capita – the report reads – for the compulsory expenses they go away 8,154 euros (+152 compared to last year). Among these expenses, the main share is represented by the housing item (4,713 euros) but the greatest contribution to the overall increase comes from the energy, gas and fuel aggregate (1,854 euros) which, on average in 2022, reaches an incidence on the total consumption of 9.7%, a value never recorded before. This, Confcommercio observes, “will have the effect of reducing spending on many areas of free spending with the risk of deteriorating the current and future confidence climate”.
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The details of the relationship
The desire to return to normality – explains Confcommercio – is supporting, in this first part of the year, household consumption with some sectors in strong recovery – such as tourism and the area of conviviality and leisure – but there are sectors that still struggle, such as automotive and clothing. A picture that risks a sharp slowdown, especially after the summer, due to the impact on household purchasing power of inflation (expected to be around 7% in 2022), increases in energy and compulsory expenditure: the latter in fact, in 2022 they reach the record share of 42.9% of total consumption, the highest value ever, with an increase in the incidence of 6.3 points from 1995 to today. Compared to a structural value of 39-40%, the difference currently recorded is abnormal.
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This difference can be attributed for half – about 1.5 percentage points – to electricity, electricity and gas whose incidence has risen to 9.7%. Conversely, in 2022, compared to 2019, the fluctuations in marketable goods are almost completely reabsorbed, while services have yet to find an equilibrium value.
In terms of real per capita expenditure, expressed at 2022 prices, households allocate € 8,154 to support the expenses included in the compulsory consumption area. Within the compulsory expenses, a preponderant role is played by those relating to the house to which they are destined – including rents, maintenance, energy, water, waste disposal – over 4,713 euros per person. In value, this represents almost a quarter of total consumption expenditure. In 1995, 18% of value-based consumption was allocated to this function.
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As regards the compulsory expenses related to mobility – insurance, fuel and maintenance of means of transport – after the marked reduction recorded in 2020, for 2022 the return to pre-pandemic consumption levels is estimated (1,899 euros per inhabitant at the prices of 2022). Considering only energy and fuels, it can be seen that in the face of a limited increase in the figure at constant prices (36 euros), representative of the quantities, the incidence has risen in just one year by two percentage points reaching 9.7%, value never achieved so far. Movements related to health costs are more modest.