Almost half of Latvian society plans to prepare for the next heating season in time – almost every third person wants to start saving for paying bills already in the spring, while 17% plan to make practical improvements to improve the energy efficiency of their home, according to a survey conducted by “Citadele” bank.
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
Women and people who have reached the age of 50, as well as those who earn between 551 and 750 euros per month, think about saving more often.
Almost a fifth or 17% of respondents plan to take various types of home improvement measures by the coming winter, mostly men.
The most popular of the possible solutions is home insulation, which is noted by 7% of respondents, most of whom are aged between 30 and 39 and live in Pieriga, Kurzeme or Zemgale. In most cases, those whose monthly income exceeds the mark of 1,500 euros plan to insulate their home, according to survey data.
Likewise, 6% of respondents plan to change household appliances to more energy-efficient ones – these plans are more often recorded by people who live in Riga and Pieriga on a daily basis. Another 4% of respondents reveal that they plan to change the heating system.
The demand for a loan to improve the energy efficiency of a home, change heating systems or install solar panels increased in 2022 before the heating season, as well as in February and March of this year, according to bank data.
Approximately one in ten, namely 11%, predicts that the next heating season the bills will not be as high as this year. Such thoughts are more actively represented by those living in Pieriga, Vidzeme and rural estates who are 40 to 49 years old.
Another 15% of respondents reveal that the heating season payments are not a problem for them, this is the most common answer given by men over the age of 60, those living in Kurzeme and residents whose monthly income exceeds 1,251 euros.
Almost every third, or 27%, reveals that they have not yet thought about the upcoming heating season’s bills and their payment.
The survey was conducted by the bank “Citadele” together with the research agency “Norstat” at the end of March 2023, surveying more than 1,000 Latvian residents between the ages of 18 and 74 online.