POWERPOOR - Empowering Energy Poor Citizens through Joint Energy Initiatives

POWERPOOR supports programmes for energy-poor citizens  (e.g. behaviour change, adoption of RES, uptake of energy efficiency measures) and encourages the use of alternative financing schemes (e.g. establishing energy communities/cooperatives, crowdfunding) to fight energy poverty.

Energy poor support programmes will be designed, developed and implemented in eight pilot countries across Europe, led by a network of certified energy supporters and energy communities mentors. Energy poor citizens will be engaged through a framework consisted of info days,local energy poverty offices and ICT driven tools, which will be integrated in the Energy Poverty Mitigation Toolkit.

With a budget of over 1 million €, POWERPOOR will also promote energy community projects / alternative financing schemes and assisting citizens to pursue funding opportunities (e.g. energy communities, energy cooperatives & crowdfunding).

The project started in 2020 and will last until 2023. It benefits energy advisors, the energy poor, frontline workers and national/local authorities. It addresses the topics of: hard to treat homes, behaviour, heating and cooling system, household appliances, communities, idea development/ innovation, income, indoor comfort, information and awareness, insulation, education, quality of dwelling, renewable energy, energy audits, energy efficiency, energy prices, financing schemes, vulnerable consumers.

Some concrete key performance indicators (KPIs) of the project include:

• 22000 energy-poor households involved in pilot support programmes.
• 172 GWh/year of energy saved.
• 8 national roadmaps drawn.
•  226 million euros in cumulative investments in sustainable energy.