Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech
Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies

C 2024

Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies

DAVID, Dominik and Hedvika KOĎOUSKOVÁ

Basic information

Original name

Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies

Authors

DAVID, Dominik (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Hedvika KOĎOUSKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution)

Edition

London, Living with Energy Poverty, p. 104-114, 11 pp. Routledge Explorations in Energy Studies, 2024

Publisher

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Kapitola resp. kapitoly v odborné knize

Field of Study

50601 Political science

Country of publisher

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Publication form

printed version "print"

References:

URL

Organization unit

Faculty of Social Studies

ISBN

978-1-032-52818-2

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003408536-12

Keywords in English

Energy poverty; energy vulnerability; energy providers bankruptcies; Bohemia Energy; energy policy; Czech Republic; lived experience

Abstract

V originále

In the Czech Republic, the public debate around energy poverty was nascent. Only recently, the issue has gained more significant political and media attention due to rising energy prices in the autumn of 2021 and the bankruptcy of several alternative energy service providers, including the most prominent one—Bohemia Energy. In total, around 900, 000 customer sites were affected. As required by law, households were immediately taken over by the so-called “supplier of the last instance” regime. Practically, they were protected from disconnection. However, many households faced difficulties paying for new deposit payments, which meant falling into energy poverty. In this chapter, we briefly discuss the state's unpreparedness for such an unprecedented event, possibly caused by a narrow understanding of energy vulnerability that prevailed in the Czech Republic before autumn 2021. Through the lens of energy cultures framework, we analyse semi-structured interviews with affected households. We reveal what it means to be energy vulnerable and how households' behaviour changed under scarcity. We argue that state unpreparedness, poor communication, and “lacking practices” contribute to households' energy vulnerability. The research suggests that misunderstandings about which groups are energy vulnerable can leave many households behind. Our aim is therefore to contribute to a better understanding of energy poverty and vulnerability through ongoing efforts to define and address this issue not only in the Czech Republic but across the EU.

Links

MUNI/A/1196/2022, interní kód MU

Name: Perspektivy evropské integrace v kontextu globální politiky V

Investor: Masaryk University, Perspectives of European Integration in the Context of Global Politics V

Files attached

Connected_yet_suffering.pdf

Request the author's version of the file

Citovat

DAVID, Dominik and Hedvika KOĎOUSKOVÁ. Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies. In Paola Velasco Herrejón, Breffní Lennon, Niall P. Dunphy. Living with Energy Poverty. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024, p. 104-114. Routledge Explorations in Energy Studies. ISBN 978-1-032-52818-2. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003408536-12.

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   author = {David, Dominik and Koďousková, Hedvika},
   address = {London},
   booktitle = {Living with Energy Poverty},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003408536-12},
   editor = {Paola Velasco Herrejón, Breffní Lennon, Niall P. Dunphy},
   keywords = {Energy poverty; energy vulnerability; energy providers bankruptcies; Bohemia Energy; energy policy; Czech Republic; lived experience},
   howpublished = {tištěná verze "print"},
   language = {eng},
   location = {London},
   isbn = {978-1-032-52818-2},
   pages = {104-114},
   publisher = {Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group},
   title = {Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies},
   url = {https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003408536-12/connected-yet-suffering-dominik-david-hedvika-ko%C4%8Fouskov%C3%A1},
   year = {2024}
}

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KW  - Energy poverty
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KW  - energy policy
KW  - Czech Republic
KW  - lived experience
UR  - https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003408536-12/connected-yet-suffering-dominik-david-hedvika-ko%C4%8Fouskov%C3%A1
N2  - In the Czech Republic, the public debate around energy poverty was nascent. Only recently, the issue has gained more significant political and media attention due to rising energy prices in the autumn of 2021 and the bankruptcy of several alternative energy service providers, including the most prominent one—Bohemia Energy. In total, around 900, 000 customer sites were affected. As required by law, households were immediately taken over by the so-called “supplier of the last instance” regime. Practically, they were protected from disconnection. However, many households faced difficulties paying for new deposit payments, which meant falling into energy poverty. In this chapter, we briefly discuss the state's unpreparedness for such an unprecedented event, possibly caused by a narrow understanding of energy vulnerability that prevailed in the Czech Republic before autumn 2021. Through the lens of energy cultures framework, we analyse semi-structured interviews with affected households. We reveal what it means to be energy vulnerable and how households' behaviour changed under scarcity. We argue that state unpreparedness, poor communication, and “lacking practices” contribute to households' energy vulnerability. The research suggests that misunderstandings about which groups are energy vulnerable can leave many households behind. Our aim is therefore to contribute to a better understanding of energy poverty and vulnerability through ongoing efforts to define and address this issue not only in the Czech Republic but across the EU.
ER  -

DAVID, Dominik and Hedvika KOĎOUSKOVÁ. Connected Yet Suffering : The Lived Experiences of Czech Households through Energy Service Provider Bankruptcies. In Paola Velasco Herrejón, Breffní Lennon, Niall P. Dunphy. \textit{Living with Energy Poverty}. London: Routledge, Taylor \&{} Francis Group, 2024, p.~104-114. Routledge Explorations in Energy Studies. ISBN~978-1-032-52818-2. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003408536-12.

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