Abstract
In this research, we sought to understand the situation of “kerosene refugees”. The results showed that some of the elderly refrain from purchasing kerosene either because the containers were too heavy or because it was too expensive. 29.0% of those surveyed were confirmed to be kerosene refugees. It was also discovered that kerosene refugees would resort to actions such as reducing the frequency of bathing and restricting the number of rooms that are heated. It was found that those who do not rely on home delivery services become kerosene refugees due to reasons such as being unable to drive in order to purchase kerosene, living in a single household, living in a wooden house, residing on the third floor or higher, having an annual income of less than 2 million yen, or being unable to walk any further than 500m. Among home delivery service users, there was a possibility for residents living on the higher floors of apartment buildings becoming kerosene refugees. Regarding the delivery of kerosene, there were several issues such as limited delivery zones, delivery often not being made up to higher floors, and increase in delivery costs for higher floors.
