Finally, Poles feel warm in winter: HRE Investments

According to HRE Investments, in 2019, only 4.2 percent of Poles had problems with adequate heating of the house. This means that one in twenty-four will complain about the cold. Despite the fact that we are only 29th (out of 35 countries) in terms of population income – being among the lowest-income countries, underheating is a rare problem for us. In this respect, we are ranked 15th (out of 35 respondents), so among the countries whose citizens do not complain about the cold at home.

Every 14th EU resident complains about the cold in their home or apartment and is unable to cope with this problem for at least part of the year. Macedonians, Bulgarians, and Lithuanians complain the worst about underheating. In these countries, every fourth or even every third citizen admits that he is unable to adequately heat their property. The reason is often low income

"Among the countries with the greatest problem of underheating apartments, we also often find the richer countries of the South of Europe. Paradoxically, this reason is the climate – warm climate. Short and mild winters mean that many properties in the South are not adequately insulated and equipped with sufficiently efficient heating systems," Bartosz Turek, chief analyst at HRE Investments, noted.

It also works the other way around. In rich countries and those where winter can be hard to deal with, the problem of underheating is almost non-existent. How to place Poland in this ranking?

"We should not be under any illusions. The last few years have brought a significant improvement in this respect. In 2005 (the oldest data provided by Eurostat) as many as 33.6 percent of Poles, i.e. eight times more than today, were unable to maintain the appropriate temperature There are at least three reasons for this development – an increase in wages of compatriots, milder winters and progressive thermal modernization. For example, in Poland from the end of 2005 to December 2020, the average salary in the enterprise sector, according to the Central Statistical Office, almost doubled. At the same time, Eurostat talks about an increase in income (expressed in euros) by 160 percent. In addition, more attention is now paid to the energy efficiency of real estate by investing in building insulation, more efficient heating systems, and renewable energy sources,” Bartosz Turek emphasized.

(WBJ)