Reacción a "Reactions to a model of energy use reduction for higher-income households"

The study is of high quality and the conclusions are based on sound data and well-applied methods. Limitations are well identified.  

This work is consistent with existing literature. We know that a large share of energy consumption and emissions is generated in the higher percentiles of society. The main novelty here is the study at the micro (household) level, which provides a basis for designing more efficient and inequity-sensitive climate policies.   

There are limitations that need to be taken into account, although they should not change the main conclusions too much. The limitations are discussed in the article and the following can be highlighted: the data are not harmonised between countries and the periods observed are too short in some cases, which can lead to distortions in the calculation of energy consumption (for example, it is possible that a household's diesel tank is filled during the period studied, significantly increasing consumption figures). On the other hand, the qualitative data have been collected in the UK, so their extrapolation to other EU countries is limited by socio-economic and cultural differences.   

These models can be very important in guiding ecological transition policies, as they allow an equity perspective on emission reductions. In this way, climate policies can be designed with a view to reducing emissions in an equitable way. 

In this way, we can design fairer and more efficient climate policies, with less impact on the most vulnerable sectors of society. These policies are perfectly applicable in Spain. 

Many countries apply similar policies, but focus on increasing the consumption capacity of the poorest percentiles (e.g. the "bono social eléctrico") rather than on limiting the consumption of the richest. Other measures, such as the 20 cents [per litre] discount on fuels, do not follow a similar line because they do not have redistributive capacity and benefit to a greater extent the richest groups, who travel more frequently in private vehicles with higher consumption. The closest kind of policy would be higher registration tax on larger vehicles, but this is a timid measure with very little effect.