11 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CoNSUMPTIoN AND ENERGY PoVERTY …
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However, wood, wood wastes, and vegetable wastes account for almost
80% of the renewables balance sheet for 2016. Most of this biomass is
consumed in the residential sector for heating—especially in rural areas
and small towns, where many houses are heated by old and ineffective
stoves (Gantcheva 2018). The widespread use of cheap and low
quality wood has had a negative effect on the air quality in recent years.
Another problem is that in addition to the state-controlled harvesting,
distribution, and sale of wood (regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Food and the State Forestry Agency), up to 25% of firewood is harvested illegally 1 (Boonstra et al. 2015).
The Bulgarian housing stock has in general very poor energy efficiency performance. 65% of the 3.9 million housing units were built
before 1990, including over 800,000 households located in prefabricated
multi-storey buildings in poor condition and with inefficient or nonexisting thermal insulation (Gaydarova 2012).
Energy poverty is a significant problem. According to EU Energy
Poverty observatory data for 2016, 41% of Bulgarians cannot maintain
adequate thermal comfort in their households. 2 The rising electricity
and district heating prices in recent years have forced many households
towards using coal and wood for heating, which further worsens air and
living quality. Although electricity prices are still the lowest in the EU
(less than half of the EU average of 0.20 Euro per kWh), incomes are
also significantly below the EU28 average, which means that energy costs
represent a considerable burden on family budget. over 400,000 households are claimed to be highly vulnerable to increases in electricity prices,
while another 149,000 households are income-poor (Export.gov 2017).
Vulnerable consumers are often prepared to compromise their energy
comfort and expose themselves to health risks in order to cut their
energy expenses. A widespread practice of underheating to reduce energy
bills has been observed. Therefore, special attention needs to be taken
to ensure that households do not curtail their energy use in a way that
would jeopardise their health or well-being.
Environmental concerns are in recent years becoming an important
motivator to save energy, but the main incentive for a typical Bulgarian
household is to cut expenses. Nevertheless, many households remain
1 This explains the poor quality of the wood on the market (wet, young and poorly
chopped) contributing to the high pollution when burning.
2 See https://www.energypoverty.eu/indicator?primaryId=1461.
117
However, wood, wood wastes, and vegetable wastes account for almost
80% of the renewables balance sheet for 2016. Most of this biomass is
consumed in the residential sector for heating—especially in rural areas
and small towns, where many houses are heated by old and ineffective
stoves (Gantcheva 2018). The widespread use of cheap and low
quality wood has had a negative effect on the air quality in recent years.
Another problem is that in addition to the state-controlled harvesting,
distribution, and sale of wood (regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Food and the State Forestry Agency), up to 25% of firewood is harvested illegally 1 (Boonstra et al. 2015).
The Bulgarian housing stock has in general very poor energy efficiency performance. 65% of the 3.9 million housing units were built
before 1990, including over 800,000 households located in prefabricated
multi-storey buildings in poor condition and with inefficient or nonexisting thermal insulation (Gaydarova 2012).
Energy poverty is a significant problem. According to EU Energy
Poverty observatory data for 2016, 41% of Bulgarians cannot maintain
adequate thermal comfort in their households. 2 The rising electricity
and district heating prices in recent years have forced many households
towards using coal and wood for heating, which further worsens air and
living quality. Although electricity prices are still the lowest in the EU
(less than half of the EU average of 0.20 Euro per kWh), incomes are
also significantly below the EU28 average, which means that energy costs
represent a considerable burden on family budget. over 400,000 households are claimed to be highly vulnerable to increases in electricity prices,
while another 149,000 households are income-poor (Export.gov 2017).
Vulnerable consumers are often prepared to compromise their energy
comfort and expose themselves to health risks in order to cut their
energy expenses. A widespread practice of underheating to reduce energy
bills has been observed. Therefore, special attention needs to be taken
to ensure that households do not curtail their energy use in a way that
would jeopardise their health or well-being.
Environmental concerns are in recent years becoming an important
motivator to save energy, but the main incentive for a typical Bulgarian
household is to cut expenses. Nevertheless, many households remain
1 This explains the poor quality of the wood on the market (wet, young and poorly
chopped) contributing to the high pollution when burning.
2 See https://www.energypoverty.eu/indicator?primaryId=1461.