"Energy Poverty Advisory Hub Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

Our policy conference in Brussels encourages a multi-stakeholder approach : Join us (01/03/2024)

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming policy conference "Empowering Local Actors: Bridging Policy and Practice in Tackling Energy Poverty closer to EU citizens" in Brussel on 10 April 2024 onsite from 13:30 to 17:00. The event is dedicated to analysing energy poverty policies through a multi-governance approach.

Results from our direct assistance to cities (01/03/2024)

During 2022 and 2023, we guided 34 municipalities to develop local actions to tackle energy poverty. We are excited to share the results of the projects developed under the framework of the technical assistance.

Stakeholders' voices (01/03/2024)

What are the main challenges faced by islands in Greece? What can make a difference in motivating multi-apartment building owners to move towards planning actions to combat energy poverty? Why do some rural areas in Hungary rely on wood burning and what are the impacts of such activities? The videos delve into the aspects of health, vulnerable populations, rural areas, multi-apartment building renovations, diagnosis among others exploring their intersection with energy poverty.

EPAH lunch talk #13 - Artificial intelligence solutions for alleviating energy poverty (01/03/2024)

Join us for the upcoming EPAH lunch talk on 12 March from 13:30 to 14:30. Tune in to explore two innovative projects showcasing AI's role in improving energy access for underserved communities. Gain insights from experiences on the ground and learn about the ethical considerations and opportunities in deploying AI for sustainable energy solutions.

Germany: EPAH national event | Sozial gerechter klimaschutz: Wie kommen wir in die umsetzung? (01/03/2024)

How can a socially just energy transition be ensured? EPAH invites you to discuss solutions and pathways at the German national event on 7 March, 13:00 - 17:00, organised by Climate Alliance. Join us in exploring how municipalities can promote an inclusive heat transition. The event will take place both in person, in Berlin, and online.

Spain: EPAH national event | Hacia una nueva estrategia nacional de pobreza energética: aportaciones desde el mundo local (01/03/2024)

EPAH is hosting a national event in Barcelona, Spain on 15 March, 10:00 - 13:00. The event, organised by Ecoserveis, aims to analyse the National Energy Poverty Strategy from a local perspective and to discuss transformative solutions to this pressing issue.

Ireland: EPAH national event (01/03/2024)

The event, organised by the South East Energy Agency, is taking place on 20 March, 10:00 - 13:00 in Dublin. It aims to share best practices on energy poverty and will feature a panel discussion, with about 50 representatives from local governments, energy agencies, associations, and universities in attendance, to grace the occasion.

Italy: EPAH national event | 3rd annual conference on energy poverty: Towards a sustainable future (04/03/2024)

On 22 March, Aisfor, in collaboration with Rete Assist and the Agenda 21 Coordination, presents in Rome the third Annual Conference on energy poverty. The event is part of the lead-up to the submission of the final version of the national energy and climate plans (NECPs) to the European Commission by 30 June. The conference will feature firsthand accounts from municipalities that have received technical assistance from EPAH. These testimonies will provide valuable insights into local efforts to combat energy poverty and highlight successful solutions implemented.

Belgium: EPAH national event - Uniting for policy solutions (01/03/2024)

Hosted by Climate Alliance on 25 March, 9:00-13:45, this interactive event aims to foster collaboration and dialogue among all relevant stakeholders to formulate effective policy recommendations and solutions. Registration is open to all interested stakeholders.

Release of Renoverty Report (06/03/2024)

The latest Renoverty report, titled "Updating the Energy Poverty and Energy Efficiency Framework in Rural Areas across the EU," has been published. It sheds light on an overlooked aspect of energy poverty in Europe: rural energy poverty. Employing a comprehensive multi-step approach, the report aims to bridge this gap by enhancing the framework surrounding energy poverty in rural and peri-urban areas.

Policy Recommendations for energy poverty in the Private Rented Sector | ENPOR final report (01/03/2024)

"Across Europe, the private rented sector is recognised as the least energy efficient among the different housing sectors, with the highest levels of energy poverty. However, tenants face a much higher risk of energy poverty compared to the general population". Read our latest article outlining the recommendations of the ENPOR project.

Comic book raising awareness of climate concerns and solutions | Sun4ALL releases "Emma's Destiny" (04/03/2024)

This is a story envisioned with an optimistic view of the future that unfolds in 2065, showcasing a European Union society that has effectively adapted and taken proactive steps to address climate change challenges. A technical dossier is included, offering practical strategies for action. Distributed as part of the Sun4All project in the Cœur de Savoie region, it contributes to promoting a fair and sustainable energy transition across the EU. Online versions in English and French.

Mobile one-stop-shop inauguration in Portugal (04/03/2024)

The Nearest Transition Point is a mobile one-stop-shop serving as a support center for energy-related issues, providing free services to citizens across Portugal. It functions as a space where citizens can receive guidance on electricity and gas bills, obtain information and advice on securing funding for home energy renovations, and benefit from free energy assessments for homes. After its inauguration in Barreiro, it will relocate to Moita on 5 March.

Summer energy poverty in public policies? (04/03/2024)

There is a pressing need to broaden the discourse on energy poverty to encompass the unique dynamics of summer challenges, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse factors contributing to vulnerability in different climatic conditions. Read the EPAH article explaining the importance of addressing summer energy poverty in promoting resilience in the face of increasing temperatures and climate-related threats.

Learning guide in all EU languages: Diagnose energy poverty in 7 steps (16/11/2023)

The Energy Poverty Advisory Hub released a new hands-on guide supporting municipalities to start assessing and addressing energy poverty, accessible now in 24 languages.

New possibilities for expanded knowledge: Revamped EPAH dashboard and new report on national energy poverty indicators (16/11/2023)

We are excited to introduce a powerful updated and revamped tool. The interactive indicators’ dashboard offers an in-depth exploration of national energy poverty indicators, providing users with the ability to compare data by year and country, and access essential information across different categories.

Awarded local governments dive into action against energy poverty (21/11/2023)

EPAH awarded 51 municipalities and supra-municipalities, to combat local energy poverty challenge through its second call for technical assitance.

The LIFE and Horizon 2020 projects tackling energy poverty: New list on our website (21/11/2023)

Under the Horizon 2020 and LIFE programmes, the European Commission's European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) assists stakeholders in delivering the European Green Deal.

New recommendations to tackle energy poverty published by the European Commission (22/11/2023)

Addressing the pressing and growing challenge of energy poverty, the European Commission released a series of recommendations that can be adopted by EU countries to tackle energy poverty.

The monthly lunch talks are back: In December we are exploring the EPAH indicators' dashboard (22/11/2023)

On 19 December,13:30 CET, we will dive into the new EPAH national indicators dashboard’s updates and discuss the suitability of newly added indicators for the energy poverty diagnosis.

Webinar: Fairer energy prices for low income households (27/11/2023)

Millions of households are cutting back on essential energy with many going without energy at all.

Capacity-building webinar – Is Europe prepared for another energy crisis this winter? (21/11/2023)

The WELLBASED project is focusing on health and wellbeing impact of energy poverty situations.

Affordable and clean heating for all? Winter workshop and debate on an inclusive heat transition (27/11/2023)

This event organised by FEANTSA is taking place in Brussels on 6 December. It aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of solid fuel users living in the worst-performing stock in light of the policy developments in 2023 in the form of a high-level panel discussion.

Expert Q&A and discussion on the private rented sector (27/11/2023)

This session is organised by the Fuel Poverty Research Network on 6 December online.

Concrete results for the EnergyMeasures project coming soon to an end (21/11/2023)

More than 3600 households have received advice to save energy and reduce their energy consumption, across 7 European countries, over the 3 years of the project. Guidelines, reviews and reports have been produced as practical materials to work with local communities.

New LIFE project strengthening the one-stop-shop design in Croatia (16/11/2023)

Inheriting from the establishment of energy poverty alleviation offices through POWERPOOR project, the new LIFE project "Croatian One Stop Shop for Home Renovation" (cross renoHome) will reinforce the centralised support to citizens.

International Annual Conference on Energy Poverty in Warsaw 19-20 September 2023 (18/07/2023)

We are inviting local governments, policymakers, experts and all relevant stakeholders to participate in our international conference.

49 awarded local governments ready to combat energy poverty (18/07/2023)

We are thrilled to reveal the highly anticipated results of its 2nd call for technical assistance. It is with great delight that it announces the awarding of 28 outstanding proposals from 12 countries across Europe.

Online course on energy poverty in Europe fully accessible (18/07/2023)

We developed a free online to approach energy poverty in Europe from both a policy framework and a practical perspective.

Seven European countries reflected on the state of energy poverty in 2023 (18/07/2023)

EPAH organised seven national events to hear from local representatives about energy poverty levels at local and regional levels and gather their recommendations for the future.

Socially Just Climate Protection: Approaches for an Inclusive Energy Transition (18/07/2023)

Join the German national event, organized by the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) in collaboration with the Horizon 2020 project ENPOR, to explore effective strategies for tackling crucial challenges in supporting the energy poor.

The European Week of Regions and Cities: Fostering cohesion for Europe's future (18/07/2023)

The EURegionsWeek is the largest annual event in Brussels focused on cohesion policy to discuss the common challenges of cities and regions in Europe.

Energy poverty workshop at the Climate Alliance International Conference (18/07/2023)

The Climate Alliance International Conference of 2023 is focusing on the measures and solutions ensuring the transformation of the cities to face the challenges brought by climate change.

Cyprus is tackling Energy Poverty in Households with Disabled People and is supporting Social Integration (18/07/2023)

With the aim of reducing energy consumption by at least 35% per year until 2026, the Union of Cyprus communities and the Cyprus Energy Agency supported 240-300 energy poor and disabled households.

3 years of POWERPOOR project resulted in 1600 people trained to support vulnerable households (20/07/2023)

Through the EU-funded project POWERPOOR, 1,600 individuals received training, with 1,100 officially certified to assist impacted households on the ground.

New publication from networked research setting future agendas for tackling energy poverty (02/03/2023)

The scientific paper, published by a collective of researchers, part of the Energy Poverty Action: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation (ENGAGER 2017-2021), offers an overview of actions and results of their energy poverty research. They also present potential future agendas for energy poverty mitigation, based on a more interdisciplinary research to reply to the challenges brought by the current energy crisis.

Webinars series in national languages for the open call for technical assistance (02/03/2023)

The second call for technical assistance of EPAH opened for applications on 1 March.

New opportunity for cities to address energy poverty - Open call for technical assistance (02/03/2023)

We are excited to launch our second call for technical assistance. Local governments and/or organisations working in strict collaboration with local governments from all the 27 EU Member States can submit their request for technical assistance and develop work plans with the guidance of experts to tackle energy poverty.

Release of our 2nd free online course (02/03/2023)

We have opened our second online course ''Energy Poverty in Europe: From Policy Framework to Integration in Local Action Plans'' to support decision-makers of local governments and other stakeholders in taking action to tackle energy poverty.

New handbook: Practical steps for energy poverty diagnosis (02/03/2023)

The ''EPAH Handbook 1: A Guide to Energy Poverty Diagnosis'' is a hands-on guidebook presenting concrete steps to accompany local governments and practitioners in their journey to diagnose the presence of energy poverty in their city/region.

Addressing energy poverty in vulnerable rural districts - launch of RENOVERTY project (02/03/2023)

The new LIFE project will foster energy efficiency building upgrades in the energy poor households of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) / South-eastern Europe (SEE) and Southern European countries (SE) by establishing the methodological and practical framework to build renovation roadmaps for vulnerable rural districts in a financially viable and socially just manner.

Toolkit for energy efficiency measures in vulnerable households (02/03/2023)

The EnPover project, financed by the EUKI initiative, developed a toolkit to guide municipalities in the implementation of local support schemes for the development of low-cost and no-cost energy efficiency improvements in vulnerable households. The aim of the project is to capacitated local stakeholders by equipping them with sets of universal and ready-to-use tools in order to take action.

EPAH lunch talk series - March session on the multi-actor approach to address energy poverty (02/03/2023)

The series of monthly webinars, gathering local governments and other stakeholders to share experiences, goes on with a session focusing on stakeholders' engagement and multi-actor approach on energy poverty.

Cities on the frontline of the energy crisis - Covenant of Mayors - Europe 2023 Conference (02/03/2023)

The high-level conference of the Covenant of Mayors, with representatives from EU institutions and the Covenant Community, will focus on the local response to the energy crisis.

SocialWatt final conference - Boosting energy efficiency to alleviate rising energy poverty in Europe (02/03/2023)

The final conference of the Horizon 2020 project SocialWatt will be the place to discuss how to address key challenges to scale up support to the energy poor, focusing on energy efficiency solutions.

A new dashboard for national indicators on energy poverty available now (16/12/2022)

EPAH has conducted an important update on national indicators for energy poverty, resulting in a new dashboard available on the website. It offers a practical visualisation of energy poverty levels across Europe thanks to the most recent EU-wide statistics. This interactive database provides practical features to navigate through 21 national indicators.

The awarded municipalities under technical assistance are progressing in their local actions against energy poverty (16/12/2022)

A tailored programme has been elaborated for each municipality under EPAH technical assistance to address energy poverty in its local context. Municipalities are now implementing their programme with their associated expert, with great diversity in the types of support provided.

A new EPAH report providing insights on national indicators (16/12/2022)

Using indicators properly can be challenging. The new EPAH report explores each national indicator available to compare EU countries with detail explanation on their application and their limits to measure energy poverty.

The EPAH lunch talk series continues – next event in January about the past year' retrospective on energy poverty (16/12/2022)

EPAH has launched its series of monthly webinars dedicated to municipalities and other key stakeholders in Europe.

The International Energy Poverty Action Week (IEPAW) is planned for February 2023 (16/12/2022)

IEPAW is a grassroots event organised around conferences and workshops to share experiences and knowledge from all actors across the world to discuss what are the solutions to tackle energy poverty.

Energy saving tips videos to reduce daily energy use (16/12/2022)

To reduce the impact of the energy crisis, local governments on the Southeast region of Ireland developed helpful tips to reduce energy consumption and save money with practical and straightforward actions. The South East Energy Agency is supporting local governments for this monthly videos, as part of the #ReduceYourUse campaign of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

New location for the OSS Transition Point in Portugal (16/12/2022)

Launched by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation with the support of other partners, the Transition Point is a mobile face-to-face service center dedicated to provide advices for improving thermal comfort of residents’ houses, with information on energy bills, financing possibilities for homes renovation and assistance, as well as free home energy assessments.

Sun4All project opens a call for applications for its community of practices (16/12/2022)

This EU-funded project is developing a support scheme helping vulnerable consumers to switch to renewables energy while reducing their energy bills. Local governments and public utilities from the European Union can apply to be chosen to receive support and resources to replicate the approach of the project, already developed in pilot initiatives in three cities (Almada, Barcelona and Rome) and one region (Coeur de Savoie).

Support of citizens in the rational use of energy in Poland (16/12/2022)

Changing consumer behaviour is key to improving energy efficiency in buildings and contributes to rationalising energy consumption, reducing costs and helping energy vulnerable. Polish municipalities come with initiatives which are dedicated for personalised contact with their citizens with the support of projects such EnergyMeasures.

35 local governments will receive tailored support to tackle energy poverty at the local level (28/07/2022)

The first EPAH call for technical assistance resulted in the selection of 24 proposals and 35 local governments to receive tailored support to tackle energy poverty. The goal is to produce effective local results that can serve as inspirational cases for other local governments aiming to undertake similar processes.

A guide for understanding and addressing energy poverty available now (27/07/2022)

This “Introduction to the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) Handbooks: A Guide to Understanding and Addressing Energy Poverty” starts the series of practical guidebooks for local governments and practitioners to tackle energy poverty with locally adapted tools and methodology.

Our conference concludes with the message of unity among EU municipalities to combat energy poverty and accelerate the just energy transition (28/07/2022)

The 2nd international conference of EPAH took place in Zagreb on 28-29 June by bringing together motivated participants from all levels of governance to debate and share experiences on the lessons learnt from the current geopolitical crisis.

Our European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) policy session will focus on gender perspectives in energy poverty policies (28/07/2022)

The EUSEW is the biggest annual event on efficient energy use and renewables, organised by the Europan Commission.

Workshop on measuring energy poverty to ensure a socially fair green transition (28/07/2022)

The aim of this European Week of Regions and Cities session is to discuss the importance of impact assessment and data collection and the challenges faced when addressing energy poverty measurement.

Workshop on tackling the new energy crisis and energy poverty locally (28/07/2022)

The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy – Europe organises a workshop to discuss challenges, strategies and solutions that municipalities can implement to face the current energy crisis and the increasingly demand on energy poverty situations.

New energy poverty best practice guidebook (28/07/2022)

The guidebook displays 9 inspirational good practice projects relating to energy poverty and how they can be implemented at local, regional, and national level to help reduce energy poverty. In the publication by 3CEA, there is a broad variety of practices including energy poverty identification and mitigation techniques and behaviour change initiatives to change consumer consumption.

Summer energy poverty – How to protect households from extreme heat (28/07/2022)

Energy poverty isn’t only a winter-related challenge. Heat waves in Spain and in other EU countries reveal the underestimated challenge to maintain a healthy temperature in summer for numerous households. The EU funded project, Cooltorise, aims to reduce the heat exposure of vulnerable homes and spread awareness on energy culture in summer. Find out more about the Cooltorise approach.

The first center for tackling energy poverty in Croatia has opened (28/07/2022)

DOOR, one of EPAH antennas and member of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, has launched the first center for tackling in energy poverty in Croatia. This center aims to provide citizens with basic information on energy poverty, advices on how to make savings in energy consumption and improve energy efficiency of their homes.

Developing joint Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) by Cypriot local governments (28/07/2022)

348 local governments in Cyprus will be supported to achieve their 2030 sustainability targets. The Recovery and Resilience Facility will finance the development of 30 joint SECAPs, that include actions related to energy poverty mitigation. The technical support will be provided by the Cyprus Energy Agency with the support of the Union of Cyprus Communities.

A new one-stop-shop (OSS) soon available in Timisoara, Romania (28/07/2022)

After the success of the PadovitFIT Expanded project in the city of Padova with the development of an Energy Saving Desk, a dedicated one-stop-shop for home renovation services will open in Timisoara in Romania and later on in 2 cities in Bulgaria.

An extensive energy poverty analysis take place in the south-eastern region of Poland (28/07/2022)

Tackling energy poverty is progressing in the south-eastern region of Poland (Malopolska) with the implementation of the update Air Protection Programme. In the framework of the programme, municipalities have to prepare an analysis on energy poverty by June 2023.

Call for technical assistance to tackle energy poverty - Open to local governments across Europe (08/02/2022)

EPAH is excited to invite local governments and/or organisations working in strict collaboration with local governments from all the 27 EU Member States to submit their request for technical assistance and receive support in the process of tackling energy poverty.

The first online course on energy poverty is launched (08/02/2022)

The "Introduction to energy poverty and the EPAH – Introductory course" is a short course open to all interested in addressing energy poverty. It provides an overview of energy poverty from a practical–political perspective. The course is available in English with subtitles in 21 European languages.

Inspirational cases report now in 24 languages (08/02/2022)

"Tackling energy poverty through local actions ‒ Inspiring cases from across Europe" is the result of extensive research on energy poverty leading to a collection of more than 200 cases. From retrofit plans to grants, information campaigns and consultation visits to vulnerable households, discover 24 projects and measures tackling energy poverty.

Explore projects and measures on energy poverty across the world: EPAH ATLAS (15/02/2022)

This online interactive database allows visitors to discover local and international projects and measures addressing energy poverty across the world. Explore the interactive map, filter and read more information about each case. Finally, submit new cases through the submission form.

International Energy Poverty Action Week (IEPAW) (15/02/2022)

Online, 21-25 February 2022

Energy poverty at EU level - Drivers, consequences and inspirational local cases for addressing it (15/02/2022)

Webinar, 28 February 2022 / Organised by: International Association for Energy Economics