Photo: Bogdan Dinca
With the prohibitive cost of a reconnection, Gabor now relies on battery-operated lights. At present, depending on income per family member (with low income defined as RON 55 per person), Romania grants financial assistance to cover a percentage of actual heating costs but applies a limit on average monthly consumption. Statistics show that 56% of the financing goes to the poorest 20% of households, while 70% of households in this income bracket receive no benefits. Similarly, while 12% of the population is eligible for social tariffs, some 42% of applicants do not qualify because their monthly consumption exceeds the cap.