How do senior citizens cope with energy poverty? Evidence from a local case study in the Polish Silesia region
How do senior citizens cope with energy poverty? Evidence from a local case study in the Polish Silesia region

Summary/Abstract: The subject of this article is energy poverty understood as having difficulties with satisfying the basic energy needs in the household. The main goal of the article is to find the patterns and strategies used by the Polish senior citizens dealing with the effects of fuel poverty and to recognize how this type of poverty affects the life of individuals, their families and local environment. This is done using original data from a case study conducted by the author in Lipiny, Świętochłowice municipality, which is an example of post-industrial area of Silesian province in Poland. The study comprised 30 individual interviews with elderly members of households affected by the problem of fuel poverty. The results show complex relations between fuel poverty and (non)fulfilment of various needs by the elderly. The findings suggest the necessity of local authorities’ systematic action focused on prevention of fuel poverty in local communities.

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