Wood fuels consumption in households in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The paper shows research results for the consumption of all types of wood fuels in the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its entities in 2015. The research was conducted in the period from March 15th to August 26th, 2016 in 109 cities/municipalities in the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina. Complex methodological approach was used for conducting the research, which required field research on the sample of 8,602 households on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as adequate statistical processing of the obtained data pursuant to the high statistical standards. Research results show that in 2015, 5.4 million m3 of firewood, 81,656 tones of wood pellets, and 6,780 tones of wood briquettes were consumed in the households in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Total expenses of households necessary for the supply of wood fuels in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 were 239.8 M?, with the largest share of firewood (226.8 M?), followed by wood pellets (11.6 M?), and wood briquettes (720.9 thousand ?). Average firewood consumption per household in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 6.43 m3. Compared to the surrounding countries it is on the level of Slovenia (6.5 m3 per household), less than in Serbia (7.3 m3 per household) and more than in Montenegro (5.49 m3 per household). Average consumption of energy from firewood expressed in kWh/m2 of the heated surface was 252.7 kWh, which is significantly higher than the average in the EU. One of the reasons for such high consumption of wood energy per 1 m2 of the heated surface is the fact that only 36.1% of the households using solid fuels have thermal insulation on their residential facilities.