SAV: Proportion of Slovak Population Living in Energy Poverty Up to 18 percent

Bratislava, 27 September (TASR) - Slovakia is one of the European countries in which energy expenditures account for the largest shares of total incomes, the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) reported earlier this week. The situation has been worsening over time, with the proportion of the population in energy poverty growing to 18 percent, meaning that 330,000 households are affected by this problem. The share of the population unable to heat their homes sufficiently has also increased. Over the past ten years it's risen from 18 to 30 percent in the poorest households and from 6 to 8 percent in the population as a whole. Dusana Dokupilova of the SAV Prognostics Institute has prepared a study in which she urges the state to define energy poverty and subsequently launch targeted aid for the most vulnerable households. "One in three Slovak households below the poverty line cannot maintain sufficient heat in their homes. This proportion is significantly lower in neighbouring countries - in Hungary it is 16 percent of households, in the Czech Republic 14 percent, in Austria 10 percent and in Poland 7 percent of households," stated Dokupilova in her study. Although various support schemes for reconstructing houses are in place, no measures aimed at energy-poor households have been implemented in Slovakia so far. "There's a need to adopt a definition of energy poverty as soon as possible, as it would help to settle this problem. At the same time, it is necessary to take measures to help vulnerable households threatened by energy poverty, starting with information campaigns and social aid in the field up to appropriate financial incentives supporting an increase in energy efficiency among households suffering from energy poverty," stressed Dokoupilova. The majority of the Slovak population lives in older or unreconstructed houses, while only 35 percent of the Slovak population live long term in completely renovated houses. At the same time, only 17 percent of houses were built after 2001, added SAV. ko/df