Influence of end-users' behaviour on energy consumption patterns in the Hungarian domestic sector: results of the REMODECE project

The Hungarian residential sector is the largest energy consumer in the country and is responsible for more than a half of heat and a third of electricity consumption. For this reason, the residential sector could be a significant contributor to energy saving and greenhouse gas mitigation targets in Hungary. According to the authors' investigation, there has been no in-depth research aimed at obtaining high-quality data on penetration of appliances, their technical characteristics (type, age, efficiency level, etc.) as well as end-use behavioral patterns that altogether determine the residential energy consumption in Hungary. To address this gap in knowledge, a research team at Central European University (CEU) analyzed end-use behavioral patterns of the residential energy consumption in Hungary in the framework of the European project called REMODECE (Residential Monitoring to Decrease Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in Europe). In order to trace the energy consumption habits of the Hungarian population, a survey of 500 households was conducted. The households selected for the survey constitute a representative, highly consistent sample, although a focus on Budapest was placed.