Sustainability of Lithuanian household sector

The aim of this article was to evaluate heating energy, electricity, water consumption, and waste generation changes from the point of sustainability in the Lithuanian household sector during 1990-2003. Positive trends in heating energy consumption due to improved household heating systems, thermal behavior of dwellings and increased energy prices are observed from 1994 to 2000, when heating energy consumption amounted to 71% of 1990 level. Electricity consumption during 1990-2000 year period varied little and stayed nearly at the same level. But fast economic growth and higher household incomes resulted in the increase of household energy consumption for both heating energy and electricity approximately by 8-9 % from 2000. Oppositely to the recent negative trends in household energy consumption, total household water consumption decreased fourfold during the period of 1990-2003 and daily amount of water consumption per capita dropped below considered sanitation norms amounting to 78 litres per day in 2003. Positive trends are also observed in overall household waste generation, which decreased twofold in absolute terms during the investigated period and annual amount of waste per capita declined from 505 kg to 262 kg and now it is less compared to the Western countries. Increase in energy consumption should be considered the main problem from the point of sustainability of the Lithuanian household sector. Renovation of heating systems, improved insulation of dwellings and balanced pricing would be the most promising solutions to contribute to sustainable household energy consumption.