Housing and energy consumption in Greece. Households’ experiences and practices in the context of the energy crisis

Abstract This paper investigates the challenges households face in Greece in the context of the current energy crisis. “Energy transition” policies, climate adaptation and mitigation goals, geopolitical tensions and COVID-19 pandemic have raised new stakes for the energy sector. Although the ‘big picture’ of the energy crisis is of high importance, it is significant to reflect on the consequences of the rise of energy prices on households. The aim of this paper is to address the impacts of the energy crisis and the crisis management policies on households in Greece. Our intention is to analyze the problems households face with regards to coping with their energy needs at home, investigate how the rise of energy prices has affected living standards and evaluate existing policies. We claim that focusing on households’ experiences and practices could contribute to a deeper understanding of energy poverty; a social problem which is expected to expand in the context of “energy transition.” Understanding energy poverty is also important for developing efficient policies, as well as for supporting bottom-up initiatives. The adopted methodology is based on a survey at national level that was implemented through a structured questionnaire, conducted in May 2022.