As Europe saves energy, some Romanians have little to unplug

Georgeta Ichim, 67, talks to a Reuters reporter in front of her house in Vasilati, Calarasi county, 30 kilometers from Bucharest, Romania, October 17, 2022. Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu via REUTERS

VASILATI, Romania (Reuters) - In the quiet Romanian village of Vasilati, where most houses are heated with wood, people worry about their power bills even though Romanians consume the least electricity per capita in the European Union and many have cut back use all they can.

Georgeta Ichim, a 67-year-old pensioner and widow, lives alone in a sparsely lit house with wood logs stacked neatly by her door next to a fig tree. She mostly uses one room in her old house, which saves on heating.