Usually, it is people with low incomes who suffer from inadequately heated homes. But often, so-called energy poverty occurs because of inferior housing quality. In Bulgaria this means poor insulation and draft-proofing as well as substandard heating equipment. The seventh national energy efficiency conference, hosted by the state Energy Efficiency Agency in Sofia on October 30, corroborated all these perceptions.

Aside from encouraging revelations about Bulgarians' growing energy efficiency, the media and participants heard that, sadly, this can be attributed to the country's dire economic situation rather than consumers' eco-friendly culture. Indeed, according to data from both the agency and the Ministry of Economy and Energy, Bulgarians used less than half the EU's average level of electricity last year. Relatively low temperatures in Bulgarian homes and the lack of a fully developed natural gas supply network lay behind this. Fact is, apart from Sofia and a small number of other cities such as Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Pleven and Vratsa, most Bulgarians in smaller towns and villages use wood and coal to keep themselves warm and fed.

Even if there is a network - such as exists in Sofia and Varna - where people can choose from the city's heating utility and a natural gas provider, people seldom use these services simply because they cannot afford them. Hence the low consumption of natural gas by Bulgarians. Additionally, using natural gas as a source for heating and cooking requires a considerable investment to hook the apartment up to the network. In its search for customers, natural gas providers have made it possible for almost everyone who is willing to become a subscriber to do so. A residential building now receives access to the network when just three apartments are willing to sign up. Investment in the technical equipment and works - involving the installation of heaters and pipes - could cost as much as several thousand leva, a sum few are willing to spend.

In Sofia, where the heating utility has the largest network of subscribers, people on low incomes have started cutting off their heaters and switching to air conditioners simply because they are a more effective use of energy in both summer and winter. This is evidenced by the agency's data revealing that central heating usage in Bulgaria declined by 40 per cent in 2007 whereas households' electricity consumption fell by 10 per cent.
Overall, data indicates that wood is the favourite form of household heating, accounting for 27.9 per cent of all energy sources. Natural gas, on the other hand, holds a mere one per cent.

The unwillingness to use heating cannot be attributed entirely to low income levels. The agency discovered that Bulgarian homes are generally very well insulated, a factor that has contributed to energy efficiency. It would seem that the combination of low income and good insulation means that people can keep their electric heaters turned off for most of the day and save on electricity consumption.

Another potential problem is the haphazard nature of insulation in residential blocks. Insulation is most effective when undertaken by the entire building. This means that every apartment owner must pay a certain amount towards the overall charge. This often leads to financial wrangling among owners and only partial insulation of the building. While aesthetically displeasing, this patchy approach also considerably lowers the block's overall energy efficiency.