Energy poverty among elderly women in the Hungarian countryside

Energy poverty is a situation when a household is not able to meet their energy needs, due to low income of the household, inefficient dwellings and high energy costs, or do not have excess to energy. Cold homes and related negative outcomes such as dump walls as well as too hot apartments in summer impose important health risks, especially on the elderly and children, meanwhile mental health of adults is also affected due to the stress related to unpaid bills and bad housing conditions. In Hungary, majority of victims of hypothermia die in their own home. It is important to note that in Hungary an important share of the population is heating with solid fuels in individual heaters is high, especially in the countryside, where energy performance of homes of homes is far from efficient. Access to wood and management of heating with wood is especially hard for single and elderly women. This paper aims to highlight the vulnerable situations of elderly households in a rural context in Hungary by setting a frame based on available data. This will be followed by a critical overview of current related policies. Finally, a set of policy recommendations will be offered to guarantee warm homes for elderly.