Coping with the Cold

Heating is a critical issue in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This paper provides insights into how much energy people demand for heating and how much they pay for it. It makes recommendations on how to design policies and investments that enable all people to access clean, affordable heating.

---

Heating is a critical issue for people's livelihoods in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The region's cold climate, the legacy of central planning and the drop in household incomes over the last 10 years of the 20th century influence profoundly the design of heating strategies for the poor. This paper provides insights into how much energy people demand for heating and how much they pay for it. It also makes recommendations on how to design policies and investments that enable all people (poor and non-poor) to access clean, affordable heating.