Really Trapped in the Heat? Accounting for Occupants' Efforts in Panel Apartment Blocks

Béla Janky; János Balázs Kocsis

doi:10.3311/PPso.13085

Authors

Béla Janky

Affiliation

Department of Sociology and Communication, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Egry J. u. 1, Hungary
Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence, H-1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, Hungary
János Balázs Kocsis

Affiliation

Department of Sociology and Communication, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Egry J. u. 1, Hungary
Department of Geography, Geoeconomy and Sustainable Development, Institute for International, Political and Regional Studies, Corvinus University of Budapest, H-1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8, Hungary

Abstract

This paper aims to account for the role of occupants' efforts in reducing the space-heating costs of panel apartments linked to district heating systems. We present the findings of a questionnaire survey among residents of North-West Budapest (Hungary). Our results show that the roles of efforts are limited in the panel housing context, but wider access to appropriate information on those (limited) opportunities could significantly alleviate the burden on households trapped in an inadequate space heating regime.