Outline of the Problem of Energy Poverty in Poland – Trend and Extent

Abstract

Energy poverty is a social and economic phenomenon that consists in experiencing difficulties in meeting basic energy needs. This paper presents analyses of trends and current status in this respect in Poland. Statistical data of the Central Statistical Office in Poland and Eurostat provided the basis for this study. The analyses were carried out in the period of 2007-2017. The analyses show that an improvement in the extent of poverty and energy exclusion in Poland took place in the investigated period. However, a significant percentage of the population still struggles with problems related to energy poverty, such as maintaining an appropriate air temperature in living quarters and paying for electricity. It is necessary not only to continue to build awareness among local and national authorities and to monitor the situation, but also to create scenarios for the expected increase in electricity prices. Particular attention should be paid to helping the economically weakest households.

Are Rural Stakeholder Needs Compliant with the Targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy? Text Mining Analysis of Local Action Group Strategies from Two Polish Regions

“…The relatively low interest in matters related to climate change and the development of renewable energy sources had already been observed for rural LAGs in Poland (Furmankiewicz, Hewitt et al, 2020) and in other countries, like in Spain (Camacho et al, 2020;Servillo & De Bruijn, 2018), however, regarding the latter issue, rural areas in Poland have yet to make use of their significant potential (Szewranski et al, 2019). This would require deliberate support due to the "energy poverty" observed within Polish local communities (Piwowar, 2020).…”

Energy Poverty and Personal Health in the EU

“…The share of housing costs in disposable income is an important factor in whether a household is in energy poverty [ 8 , 60 , 64 ]. The indicator people at risk of poverty or social exclusion have been shown to be a determinant in energy poverty [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. The population unable to keep their home adequately warm is an important indicator of energy poverty [ 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ].…”

“…Current health expenditure as a percentage GDP [ 76 ] is included in the analysis to indicate how a country’s healthcare resources are related to energy poverty. People or households that are in arrears on their utility bills are often affected by energy poverty [ 47 , 65 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 ]. These variables are used in the models below.…”

A Review of Literature on Measuring Energy Poverty

“…Energy poverty, according to Ogwumike and Ozughalu (2016), Ahmed andGasparatos (2020), andBazilian et al (2012), has a detrimental effect on economic growth. Selcuk et a l (2019), , Vermaak et al (2009), El-Katiri (2014), Nathan and Hari (2020), Jayasinghe et al (2021), Huang et al (2022), Olang et al (2018), Bouzarovski et al(2012, Tait (2017), Ssennono et al (2021) and Piwowar (2020) conclude that low-income households are more likely to face energy poverty. Israel-Akinbo et al (2021), Sokolowski (2020), Barnes et al (2011) and Nduka (2021) explain that rural households are more affected by energy poverty than other households.…”