Multivariate model for the usage of renewable energies in a rural area

Bernadett Nagy, Bernadett Horváthné Kovács, Ádám Csuvár, Alexander Titov

Within Hungary, the Koppányvölgye rural area was chosen due to its unique natural circumstances with its broad green nature, concerning the inhabitants’ habit for the usage and knowledge of renewable energy for residential heating. Through quota-based sampling method we collected the demographic, social and economic variables to examine their level of influence on wood for residential heating usage. We received the Likert scale values through the questionnaire, which had to be recoded for the binomial logistic regression model that we chose to use because of the indicator variable’s trait, and in aim to examine the explanatory variables’ significance. As a result, for the wood indicator variable, the age of the respondent turned out to be a significant variable, the higher age compared to lower age is a chance decreasing category for wood usage, employed compared to unemployed increased the likelihood, thereby rejected the energy ladder phenomenon, as well as more people in one household increased the chance for wood usage. The higher education, environmental awareness and insulation level of a house turned out to be non-significant for wood usage. Therefore, we strengthened those statements from the earlier studies, that in this rural region, the change
of the residential heating technology is more likely to be supply driven than demand driven.

Keywords: 
renewable energy; rural development; environmental awareness; residential heating; wood heating
Contact: 

Bernadett Nagy, Kaposvár University, 40 Guba Sándor Street, Kaposvár, Hungary, 7400, phone +363 05 03 74 55; e-mail: nagy.bernadett@ke.hu

Date of online publishing: 
18.06.2020

President
Dr.h.c. Prof. Ing. Peter Bielik, PhD.
e-mail: Peter.Bielik@uniag.sk
tel: +421376415518

Liaison Officer
Prof. Dr. Ing. Elena Horská
e-mail: Elena.Horska@gmail.com
tel: +421376415522

Secretary General
Mgr. Vladislav Valach
e-mail: Vladislav.Valach@uniag.sk
tel: +421376415545
 

Postal address

Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra                                                        
Visegrad University Association
Foreign Relations and International Programmes Office
Tr. Andreja Hlinku 2
949 76  Nitra
Slovakia