Energy Poverty in Eastern Europe: Hidden Geographies of Deprivation

One of the consequences of the post-socialist transformation of Eastern and Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union is the emergence of energy poverty, a condition where households are living in inadequately heated homes. Winter after winter, the world's media file reports about energy-related humanitarian emergencies: 'Dozens die in Russian cold snap' in January 2006 being simply the latest as every spell of unusually cold weather brings misery to some countries in the region, as millions are left without heating and electricity.This book provides the first full-length examination of the causes, consequencs and patterns of energy poverty in former Communist countries. Based on empirical evidence that spans different spatial contexts and scales and compares these with other developing regions, it links household-level deprivation with broader organisational and political dynamics. The book also analyses the lived experiences of scarcity and marginalisation at household level. It identifies the socio-demographic factors that distinguish energy-poor families from the rest of the population, and the need for addressing energy poverty through a comprehensive range of policy tools. As the issue of energy supply from the Former Soviet Union is likely to become a burning economic and political problem across the whole of Europe within the next couple of decades, the book argues that there is a direct link between the energy crises experienced by the region, and the social aspects of energy use in households.