Seite - 155 - in Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies - Conference Proceedings of the 17th STS Conference Graz 2018

Results Energy poverty definition and indicators Some of the main findings regarding energy poverty definitions and indicators from the conducted interviews are: - Energy poverty is expressed in choosing whether to heat or satisfy other basic needs, such as food - Heating is the most problematic energy service in Austria, while all energy services are relevant for Macedonia - Income poverty and energy poverty are very much connected in Austria, while in Macedonia not only income poor, but also not income poor are affected by energy poverty - Related to the previous finding, in Austria affordability is the most relevant aspect of energy poverty, while in Macedonia not only affordability, but access and comfort too - Not heating the whole dwelling is an indicator of energy poverty, and it is very common in Macedonia - Most important indicators of energy poverty are: dwellings with bad quality which often have cheap rent in Austria; households living in houses in Macedonia; households using electricity, fuelwood or unconventional materials for heating; those with low incomes and high energy costs Policies and projects with relevance to energy poverty In regard to policies and projects in both countries with relevance to energy poverty, the most important findings from the interviews are: - There is no national definition of energy poverty in both countries - The initiatives in Austria have a good target group, but poor choice of measures - Best measures in Austria include the passive house project, and the obligations of energy suppliers to invest in energy efficiency in households - The measures in Macedonia are well chosen, but the target group is poor - Best measures in Macedonia are: loans for low-income households, subsidized loans for good quality of energy efficient products and services, project on how to change the heating of most vulnerable households, and a municipality’s rulebook on energy efficiency standards in new dwellings Households’ strategies to satisfy their energy needs The main findings about how households affected by energy poverty satisfy their energy needs from the interviews are: - Households reduce their comfort in order to reduce their energy costs - Strategies to reduce their energy costs include: not heating all rooms, lower indoor temperature, small energy efficiency investments, wearing warmer clothes, minimal electricity use - Households prioritize their energy bills over other needs -Households find comfort to be more important than other needs - Desired result of energy efficiency is financial savings to be used for other needs other than increasing comfort 155