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Improving energy efficiency includes a number of measures implemented as part of the greening of the energy industry, which in turn is a prerequisite for the creation of a sustainable energy industry to ensure energy and environmental security for the world. Despite the adoption of the EU directives on energy efficiency, there is still insufficient public awareness in this area in Poland and Slovakia. This is particularly surprising because improving energy efficiency not only brings national and global benefits, but also has a significant impact on the well-being of individuals and households. The main purpose of the paper is to analyze the national policies of Poland and Slovakia, which are based on the European Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, and which introduce new measures aimed not only at increasing energy efficiency, but also at increasing the well-being of households and individuals. Methods of desk research and content analysis were used. The current situation in both countries is illustrated by case studies that document the administrative process (Slovakia) and the calculation of energy savings (Poland) when using renewable energy sources in the case of family houses.

This paper considers the problem of unpaid work in households. It focuses on the different categories of unpaid work, particularly the implementation of housework, child care and adult care. Specifically, household services, and domestic care services with included health services are designated as "white jobs" which may have the potential to create new jobs. These "white jobs" represent an untapped source of employment in the labour market. The main objective of the paper is to explore the various social determinants influencing the decision of Slovak families to use or not use alternative market substitutes of selected categories of unpaid work with the aim of identifying the hidden potential for job opportunities in the labour market in Slovakia and the potential demand for those services. The results of the primary research suggests that Slovak households have a potentially greater interest in procuring household services from external sources, rather than procuring personal services for themselves. In terms of the perspective demand for the above mentioned services, the research found that in this case it should be necessary to take into consideration the strong influence of traditionalism and conservatism, which affects the scope and nature of market substitute usage.

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The aim of this paper is to analyse the formal and informal care for seniors in households in a selected region of the Banská Bystrica self-governing region in Slovakia -the Southern Gemer region which can be said to be "underdeveloped". The data we have used for the analysis consist of 12 municipalities and one city. In our study, we focused on seniors aged 65 and over. The analysis of the availability of formal services in the fi eld of providing social care for the elderly 65+ showed that the focus (main) responsibility in this area is geared towards informal care for the elderly in households, despite the inappropriate age structure of caregivers. Our research revealed the wellbeing as being an important determinant that requires the availability but also the quality of formal and informal care for seniors in households.