EnvironmentThe municipalities of Prespes and Resen belong to Region of Western Macedonia, Greece and Region of Pelagonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia respectively and are situated in an area of very cold climate where winters can last for up to nine months. Thus, there is a huge consumption of energy to cover mainly heating requirements. However, the only available fuels for heating are diesel and wood and in lesser degree the locally extracted lignite, which contribute to the pollution of the area significantly. Additionally, due to economical crisis in Greece, the tax over fuel prices increased considerably, turning heating expenses an extremely heavy economical burden for the local population. It is worth mentioning that in winter 2011/12, 50 % of the households in the region of Western Macedonia stopped purchasing diesel as heating fuel and adopted cheaper alternative heating methods