One in two households in Greece struggling to cover energy needs

By Trend

Half of the households in Greece are struggling to meet their energy needs in recent months, according to the results of a survey released on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The survey carried out by Kapa Research in May for Nicos Poulantzas Institute, an Athens-based think tank, 62 percent of the households are unable to adequately heat their homes in the winter and 51 percent unable to properly cool their homes in the summer.

Thirty-six percent of the respondents said they have cut back on expenses on food and clothing to be able to pay energy bills, while three out of ten households fall behind on the payments of their utility bills.

Amidst the international energy crisis, Greek citizens are faced with enormous increases in energy costs lately.

According to latest data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) for May this year, natural gas prices increased by 172.7 percent compared to 2021, electricity prices by 80.2 percent and heating oil by 65.1 percent.

Record high inflation is meanwhile decreasing Greeks available income. Greece's annual inflation rate jumped to 11.3 percent in May 2022, reaching a 29-year record for the country, ELSTAT said a few days ago.