High prices, overseas dependence affect energy, say Turks

High prices are perceived as one of the most critical problems in the energy sector and the area in which the government has been most unsuccessful in terms of energy policy, a recent poll has revealed. 

The dependence on imported energy is seen as another major problem for the sector, according to Professor Volkan Ediger, the director of Kadir Has University's Center for Energy and Sustainable Energy, which commissioned the poll. 

"Natural gas is the most used energy source in households; the consumer wants continuous access to energy sources," said Ediger. 

Tell us about the poll.

I think this poll is a first of its kind since it is about the Turkish public's energy preferences. The poll was conducted last November with 1,204 people who were interviewed face to face.

In the first part, we asked questions to see the patterns on household energy consumption. Some 65 percent of consumers said they were spending the largest amount of money on energy for heating and then lighting. Some 54 percent use natural gas, 25 percent use coal and 12 percent use wood for heating. While natural gas is the most used energy source, the highest bill is paid for electricity, since 50 percent said electricity was the energy source they spend the most money on.

One of the questions we asked in this section was about electricity cuts. Some 47 percent said electricity cuts happened one or two times, and that's pretty normal. In addition, we saw that in some regions, electricity cuts are more frequent, especially in Southeast Anatolia. Probably that is because of security problems and unauthorized use is also highest in that region.

One of the most interesting findings is about insulation. Some 65 percent...

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