Hungary’s energy consumption grew in 2015 and 2016, while other EU countries' declined steadily in recent years, it has been revealed.
According to Gabriella Szalai, the head of the Hungarian Energy Efficiency Institute, total energy consumption of the country was 1,072 petajoules in 2016 - 55 percent came from imported resources.
MTI states that the cost of these energy resources amounted to 4 percent of GDP. Energy efficiency is measured in the energy used to produce one unit of GDP. In Hungary, this index was 86 percent higher than the EU average.
Szalai said the lack of energy efficiency is prevalent among private consumers, with two thirds of the 4.4 million Hungarian homes using outdated systems. She called for extended government programs funding the efficiency upgrade of private homes.