According to the EKObarometer 2024 survey, carried out in cooperation with the Polish LPG Organization (POGP), LPG is used by 41% of Poles, including 49% living in rural areas, 37% living in small and medium-sized cities and 33% living in metropolitan areas. We’re talking about use not only in cars, but also for heating buildings.

According to the data cited by the study’s authors, 13 million Poles live in rural areas. In 2022, 31% of rural residents will have access to the gas grid. The rest – particularly in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie provinces – still heat primarily with solid fuels. Moreover, 60% of residential buildings in rural areas were built before 1989, and their technical standard prevents the use of many new technologies. Given the time and cost of connecting LPG, it seems that switching to this fuel is in many cases the only effective and accessible way to eliminate coal-fired stoves.

According to data from the 2023 Central Register of Buildings, there are 17.3 million heat sources in use in Poland, of which 2 million are so-called “dug-outs. According to the Polish Smog Alert, solid fuel stoves and boilers account for 86% of total PM 2.5 emissions and about 93% of emissions of carcinogenic benzopyrene. It is estimated that the annual health costs associated with the impact of smog on the bodies of Poles exceed 100 billion zlotys.

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Coming back to the report: according to the answers given by the respondents, the LPG-powered system is a proven, long-lasting, trouble-free and basically maintenance-free solution – it practically only requires refueling 1-2 times a year. LPG users point to the advantages: the price of fuel, convenience of use and the attractive price of installation.

According to EKObarometer 2024, created in cooperation with POGP, more than 43% of Poles consider LPG to be an environmentally friendly fuel (48% have no opinion on the subject), and more than 50% believe that replacing coal stoves with gas boilers contributes to improving air quality and reducing smog. 61% of LPG users agree that LPG is a good solution in areas where there is no access to gas pipelines or district heating.

The oldest Poles use LPG just as often (43% of respondents), but by far the most often in the kitchen – as many as 55% of LPG users have recently cooked with a cylinder. In addition to cost, LPG users also value convenience (33%). They also emphasize the advantages of LPG in the fight against smog – 58% of respondents indicate that replacing their heating system with a gas boiler helps improve air quality, and 54% say the same for autogas.