Financial mechanisms

The project aimed to help low-income households access solar energy which can help manage the costs of air conditioning (as Southern Australia is experiencing greater intensity and more frequent heatwaves).

SocialWatt aimed to enable obligated parties under Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive across Europe to develop, adopt, test and spread innovative schemes to alleviate energy poverty. The appropriate tools developed within the framework of SocialWatt aimed to help utilities and energy suppliers effectively identify energy poor households, as well as develop and monitor schemes that focus on increasing the energy efficiency of these houses. The ‘SocialWatt Analyser’ tool combined such data with other available data (national, regional and local statistical data, data from social services etc.) to support utilities and energy suppliers identify energy poor citizens.

The project aimed to train 15 PhD researchers to design transformational pathways that tackle Energy Poverty and Justice. It supported in providing evidence and using the decentralised nature of ‘Positive Energy Districts’ and ‘Networks of Districts’ as the central platform of transformation, whilst recognising the economic, social and environmental challenges faced.

The SHINE network advises and refers to vulnerable groups including people of low incomes and with health conditions across the London Boroughs.

This a project working with the local council to test the impact of low-cost measures on bills, comfort and health. It explores six main streams: community engaggement, trainings, low-cost, high-quality installations, energy and quality checks as well as monitoring of various metrics such as temperatur, humidity, biling data and surveys.

The project sought to dismantle the barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency measures among poorer households and communities in Romania, with the overall objective of alleviating energy poverty. The project: (1) addressed energy efficiency needs, (2) developed appropriate policy measures, (3) strengthened the capacity for the implementation of energy-efficiency measures in poorer regions, and (4) stimulated the market for locally-produced, energy-efficient building materials.

Les Compagnons Bâtisseurs (CBP) in the regional branch in Provence launched the project MCPE aiming to assist auto-renovations. Staff of CBP helped households with renovation but the project also developed households' awareness campaigns, sociotechnical diagnosis and provided advices.

LEMON was a project that provided technical assistance to public and private entities for the preparation of tenders for the energy retrofitting of 622 social housing units in the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Parma. LEMON supplemented regional and national loans and incentives to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and apply two new contractual instruments to govern the relations between tenants and owners of the residences, the energy supplier and the ESCOs (Energy Service Companies) so as to ensure a return on investment within 15 years from the retrofitting.

The initiative ALSTER includes 44 Flemish social housing providers (SHMs). The SHMs want to actively and structurally contribute to a better climate and combat energy poverty. With an investment of € 231 million, 647,767 solar panels will be installed on 58,433 buildings, representing a production of 207,286 MWh per year.

In the project EnerSHIFT, 44 public housing buildings in Liguria were renovated through innovative financing mechanisms. The energy audits needed for EnerSHIFT were carried out by the technicians of the four Ligurian social housing agencies. After receiving specialised training from IRE Spa, the technicians carried out more than 100 audits on their local Public Residential Buildings assets.