New H2020 energy efficiency projects are fighting energy poverty

Energy poverty continues to represent a challenge for many European households. A new Eurostat publication ‘Housing in Europe’ shows that still close to 7% of the EU population reported not being able to afford to heat their home adequately in a 2019 survey – a figure that is likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for the year 2020. To support efforts to curb this phenomenon, four new Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency projects will empower households to take measures to save energy and improve their quality of life.

The ENPOR project will improve energy costs and efficiency for tenants in the private rented sector by supporting the adaptation and implementation of ten existing energy efficiency policies to energy poor consumers in seven Member States. The project also plans to map energy poverty through an interactive GIS-based tool to detect and visualise effects of policies on energy poverty.

The ComAct project aims to make high-impact/high-cost energy efficiency improvements accessible to energy poor communities in multi-family apartment buildings in five Central and Eastern European countries by working closely with Home Owners Associations and other local actors.

The main objective of POWERPOOR is to develop support programmes in eight Member States to implement energy efficiency measures and participate in joint initiatives, encouraging the establishment of energy communities and making use of alternative financing schemes for energy poor citizens, for example through crowdfunding. 

Finally, EnergyMEASURES will work with energy poor households to improve their energy efficiency using a combination of low-cost measures and behavioural changes in their energy-related practices. The project will also work with municipalities, energy authorities, housing associations and other relevant actors to address structural issues. 

More projects selected under the recent Call for proposals 2020 are expected to start towards the summer to help alleviate energy poverty across Europe. The future LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme will continue to provide funding support to mitigate energy poverty.