RESEARCHING THE INFLUENCE OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON ENERGY POVERTY IN EASTERN AND ADRIATIC CROATIA

The consumption and energy costs affect the competitiveness of industrial branches as well as business in general. The implementation of an effective energy policy encourages the economic growth and prevents significant energy poverty. Development of energy systems depends on many factors, among which the energy price and the rate of return on invested funds should be emphasized. Long-term use of real energy prices will result in a reliable supply of energy in the future. The price of energy for households depends significantly on production costs and energy consumption. Households consume energy for heating, cooling, cooking, domestic hot water, lighting and household appliances. In fact, the biggest item is the cost of heating which depends significantly on the climatological conditions and specific habits of consumers. Developed societies tend to use a variety of devices. As a consequence, energy consumption and price increase continuously. Hence, the cost of energy becomes a significant part of the total costs of an average household. The number of people who cannot pay the cost of energy will inevitably increase in the future in line with rising energy bills and energy poverty. The complex energy poverty issues must be studied in depth because there are many countries in which energy poverty is a major social problem. However, in Europe, only the United Kingdom and Ireland have determined the criterion for energy poverty. This research is focused on the energy consumption in households. The energy needs are presented and the energy costs in relation to the available household income are considered. Furthermore, the influence of energy consumption on energy poverty in Eastern and Adriatic Croatia is researched.