Reveal Marketing Research: The coldest winter is coming. Half of Romanians fear that they will not be able to heat their home

• 58% of Romanians declare that it will be very difficult for them to pay utility bills in the coming winter, and 50% are worried that they will not be able to heat their home.
• The solutions that Romanians take into account for the cold season are reducing the consumption of non-essential products (50%), reducing electricity consumption (48%) and using warmer clothing at home (42%).
• More than half (53%) of the Romanians who benefit from the home heating aid offered by the state declare that it is insufficient to cover utility expenses.

In a context marked by inflation, energy crisis and inevitable price increases, Reveal Marketing Research conducted a nationally representative study to find out how Romanians are preparing for the cold season that is “knocking” at the door.

The increase in prices is the biggest concern of Romanians at this end of the year

Rising prices worry Romanians more than other concerns within society. 40% of Romanians say that the amount of the bill for electricity or natural gas is the biggest reason for anxiety for the next period, and 25% say they are worried about the increase in prices for esential items.

On the other hand, only 13% of respondents are concerned about the expansion of the conflict on Romania’s borders, 10% about the level of corruption in the country, and the fewest, 5%, are still worried about a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Regarding Romanians’ perceptions of the coming winter, we are facing an extremely worrying situation. 58% of Romanians declare that it will be very difficult for them to pay utility bills, to a much greater extent among young people between 25 and 34 years old (64%). Half of the respondents even say that they are worried that they will not be able to heat their home, and 48% expect that there will be interruptions heating suppply due to old infrastructure.

If we turn our attention to consumption behaviors and use of utilities, 58% of Romanians declare that the temperature in the house will be lower this winter than in previous years, especially young people between 25 and 34 years old (71%). Half of the respondents will use several methods of heating the home, and 32% are even considering disconnecting from the public heating service.

The level of optimism is extremely low among Romanians, only 18% of them declaring themselves optimistic, while 43% are rather pessimistic about the standard of living for the coming winter. On a closer look, we notice that the most pessimistic are those between the ages of 45 and 55 (52%).

Romanians have already started preparing for record bills this winter, and saving is the watchword

Increased utility costs have driven changes in consumption and purchasing behavior. 55% of Romanians declare that they have given up buying products that are not essential, to a significantly greater extent people over 65 (65%). 18% say they renewed their contract with their energy or natural gas supplier to get a better price, and 13% even changed supplier. Only 22% of Romanians declare that they have not yet taken measures to prepare for the coming winter.

Regarding the solutions that Romanians consider for the cold season, 48% declare that they will reduce electricity consumption, to a significantly greater extent men (53%), but especially people over 65 (72%).

On the other hand, 42% of Romanians are prepared to dress warmer at home, and 29% will turn off the heating in unused rooms and use water at a lower temperature.

The electric central heating system is the most expensive method of heating the home

The natural gas central heating system is considered to be the least expensive method of heating the home (43%). A special aspect is the perspective of young people between 18-34 years old, a quarter of them considering the wood-burning fireplace as the cheapest solution, compared to only 16% of those over 34 years old.

On the other hand, the electric entral heating system is perceived as the least economical method of heating the home (9%).

Currently, 28% of Romanians declare that they intend to change their home heating method in the next year, especially those who use an electric (58%) or wood-fired (52%) central heating system.

The home heating aid offered by the state covers too little of the costs

17% of Romanians declare that they benefit from the help offered by the state for heating the home. Young people between 18-24 years old (24%) and people over 55 years old (22%) benefit from it to a greater extent.

Those who benefit from this help from the state see it as beneficial to a very small extent, only 16% of them consider that it covers heating expenses to a large extent. More than half of Romanians, especially young people – 18-24 years old (61%) and those between 45 and 55 years old (73%), believe that the help for heating the home offered by the state is not enough.

***

About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and Europe for 14 years.

Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between 19-24.10.2022 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users. The sample size was 1003 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.

*** The data belongs to the market research company Reveal Marketing Research and is used to put in context the future business studies for the company’s clients.