The other day, amendments to the Energy Act entered into force - the law introduces the requirement of the European Directive, the concept of "energy poverty". We are talking about cases when the consumer has no opportunity to pay bills for electricity and heat for the reason of large bills and low incomes. In Europe, the problem of the high cost of energy resources leads to the fact that some of the households are forced to save on warm or cooling air in the heat, and in Latvia also, especially in the crisis, heating and electricity becomes for part of the residents of the service, for which it becomes more difficult for them to pay, Latvian radio reports -four.
"Energy poverty is the inability of a consumer consumer to maintain the appropriate temperature of the house or the lack of ability to use the services of energy supply. This is a common problem in the EU, "says the director of the Department of Energy and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Economy of Maria Zurikova. The law defines groups of specific consumers who suffer from energy poverty and for which the state's assistance in paying for energy consumption can be expanded. But this indicator will be used in order to eliminate the problem of inefficient energy consumption - that is, to solve the issues of insulation of houses, when energy consumption and, accordingly, the heat fee decreases at times:
"In the near future, this factor will be taken into account when developing an energy efficiency program for the next budget period. At the moment, we are developing amendments and to the benefits so that this help reaches as much people as possible - needy and low-income families. "
In Latvia, in the winter period, a large amount of electricity consumes - we pay a lot for warmth, and it is especially acutely felt now, during the economic crisis. Considerable share of people will face or already encountered difficulties with the payment of utility bills, including for heating. Rīgas Siltums have no data that clients have grown to pay for heat, but there are concerns due to cold weather in January and February, since heat consumption has grown by a third:
"Duty is two million - if you compare with the previous year, debt at the same level, as a year ago. Of course, we are worried about the accounts - January was colder. It depends on each house. Of course, you need to think about savings - it can be adjusted in each thermal node. Each degree is an average of 5-6% to the account, "says RS Linda Renz. Rīgas siltums predicts the growth of January accounts due to low temperatures by an average of 12%. However, the growth of heat tariffs is not yet predicted.
With current debts of each particular Riga house, you can find the RS page on the Internet. The Ministry of Economy also reported that there are no signs of sharp growth in the cost of electricity on stock exchanges yet.