For the 2020-2021 heating season, the funds allocated by the state in support of fuel subsidies amount to nearly BGN 130 million and are used mainly for purchasing bad-quality wood and coal. They act as an important source of income for about 260,000 Bulgarian households. They are ineffective in the long term because they address the consequences of the problem of energy poverty rather than its causes. Furthermore, they have an adverse effect on air quality by stimulating the use of polluting sources of energy.