Household Energy Consumption and Energy Poverty in Kazakhstan

Aiymgul Kerimray, Rocco De Miglio, Luis Rojas Solorzano, Brian Ó Gallachóir

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

Lack of access to modern fuels, high fuel prices, poor building insulation, and income poverty are among the underlying causes of current global energy problem. Kazakhstan may be particularly highly affected by this phenomenon due to the high heating demand and the severe continental climate, as well as due to the high use of coal and biomass in some of its regions. On the other hand, Kazakhstan is rich with energy resources and prices for energy remain low and not reflective of the true cost of supply.
Despite widespread access to district heating and natural gas networks in urban areas, many households in remote regions still use solid fuels for heating purposes in Kazakhstan. Residential coal consumption per capita in Kazakhstan is one of the highest in the world (IEA, 2015). A 30% share of all households used coal as a primary source for heating, increasing to 67% in rural areas (Atakhanova and Howie, 2013). Incidences of deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning in households in Kazakhstan are reported periodically during winter time in the local media. However, there are very few studies on indoor air pollution and household energy consumption in Kazakhstan. It is essential for decision makers and the general public to understand the patterns, determinants and implications of household energy consumption. This paper reviews residential energy consumption trends in Kazakhstan, energy efficiency potential in buildings as well as the incidence energy poverty across the regions of the country.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIAEE Energy Forum
Place of PublicationCleveland, OH 44122 USA
PublisherInternational Association for Energy Economics
Pages31-34
Volume26
Publication statusPublished - 2017

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