Citizens, receiving subsidies from the state for payment for housing and utilities services, in 2015 consumed twice as much energy resources than citizens who do not receive subsidies, expert for energy and energy efficiency Sviatoslav Pavliuk has said at a press conference in Kyiv.

"Those who do not receive subsidies consume half as much energy resources as people who receive subsidies. In fact, the existing subsidy system plays against energy efficiency projects," he said.

Pavliuk added that, according to the State Statistics Service, the total cost of services consumed by citizens in 2015 amounted to UAH 51 billion. At the same time, citizens paid UAH 25.7 billion on their own, while UAH 25.3 billion was allocated from the national budget for housing and utilities services subsidies.

"In general, we spent UAH 25.3 billion on subsidies last year. At the same time, funding for energy efficiency measures stood at UAH 342 million, of which almost half was transferred to the current year... Our business model in the housing sector consists of "eating away" the money we should have spent on insulation of buildings that would allow to reduce consumption and heating bills," he concluded.