The ENERGY ACTION Project

🚨 Blog post 🚨 💡 Community Energy for Energy Solidarity (CEES) partners Zelena Energetska Zadruga (Green Energy #Cooperative) have distributed 120 Energy Savings Packages to elderly people living in #EnergyPoor households in Zagreb, entirely funded by citizens' donations 👵🏻 In autumn 2022, ZEZ launched ‘Ease Their Troubles’, a donation campaign to help older citizens living in #energypoverty save on their monthly bills. With the help of local organisations working with similar target groups, such as the Red Cross Initiative, ZEZ identified vulnerable citizens who would benefit from an Energy Savings Package. 💸 The scheme was entirely funded by citizens, with individual donations totalling €8,750. ZEZ hopes to match this with private sector donations in the next phase of their project. More to come! 📖 Read more: https://bit.ly/3lhoska

The intermediary dilemma in #energypoverty: working with ‘middle actors’ helps identify people struggling to pay energy bills, says Coopernico. It can, however, lead to delays and organizing challenges. Picking the right partners is critical. Click here to view the CEES webinar featuring Coopérnico: https://bit.ly/4ak6DWm #energyjustice #fuelpoverty #justtransition #CEESWebinar #energypolicy #energycommunities #energycrisis

The European Commission’s Recommendation on Energy Poverty and accompanying Staff Working Document offer an unprecedented, ambitious statement, that CEES welcomes - but mixes up the distinction between *activities in the energy market* and *ways of governing the energy system* For the first time, the European Commission spells out that #EnergyPoverty concerns all countries in Europe. There is now a strong urge to address the issue once and for all, with long-term solutions, tackling structural inequalities 🎉🎉 Among these recommendations is a recognition of the importance of citizen empowerment and of the role energy communities can play in tackling energy poverty 👏👏 Unfortunately, the Recommendation itself confuses the distinction between activities in the energy market and ways of governing the energy system. Collective self-consumption and energy sharing are activities that can be facilitated or undertaken by other actors, not just #EnergyCommunities (this is currently being discussed in the revisions of the Electricity Market Directive). Energy communities are a *unique* way of governing the energy system: they are the only form of collective governance of the energy system, enabling the participation of citizens, formalised by the EU. While we regret this mix-up in the actual Recommendation, the accompanying Staff Working Document largely rectifies this confusion. It underlines the untapped potential of energy communities as a “value driven, and community rooted business model (…) to create social cohesion, improve citizens’ understanding of the issues related to energy, climate and democracy, and trigger energy savings.” As a way of showcasing that potential, a number of results and examples from the CEES project are referenced, including the CEES survey carried out by the University of Birmingham and community projects Repowering London and Énergie Solidaire. Read our full analysis here: https://bit.ly/3Qje1b7

🚨 Blog post 🚨 💡 Community Energy for Energy Solidarity (CEES) partners Zelena Energetska Zadruga (Green Energy #Cooperative) have distributed 120 Energy Savings Packages to elderly people living in #EnergyPoor households in Zagreb, entirely funded by citizens' donations 👵🏻 In autumn 2022, ZEZ launched ‘Ease Their Troubles’, a donation campaign to help older citizens living in #energypoverty save on their monthly bills. With the help of local organisations working with similar target groups, such as the Red Cross Initiative, ZEZ identified vulnerable citizens who would benefit from an Energy Savings Package. 💸 The scheme was entirely funded by citizens, with individual donations totalling €8,750. ZEZ hopes to match this with private sector donations in the next phase of their project. More to come! 📖 Read more: https://bit.ly/3lhoska

To tackle energy poverty among its own clients, Enercoop trained customer service staff on how to identify and engage with people struggling to pay their bills. A specialised Task Force committed to long-term follow-up builds trust with clients! Click here to view the CEES webinar featuring Enercoop: https://bit.ly/3Tpm8q4 #energyjustice #energypoverty #justtransition #CEESWebinar #energycommunities

The European Commission’s Recommendation on Energy Poverty and accompanying Staff Working Document offer an unprecedented, ambitious statement, that CEES welcomes - but mixes up the distinction between *activities in the energy market* and *ways of governing the energy system* For the first time, the European Commission spells out that #EnergyPoverty concerns all countries in Europe. There is now a strong urge to address the issue once and for all, with long-term solutions, tackling structural inequalities 🎉🎉 Among these recommendations is a recognition of the importance of citizen empowerment and of the role energy communities can play in tackling energy poverty 👏👏 Unfortunately, the Recommendation itself confuses the distinction between activities in the energy market and ways of governing the energy system. Collective self-consumption and energy sharing are activities that can be facilitated or undertaken by other actors, not just #EnergyCommunities (this is currently being discussed in the revisions of the Electricity Market Directive). Energy communities are a *unique* way of governing the energy system: they are the only form of collective governance of the energy system, enabling the participation of citizens, formalised by the EU. While we regret this mix-up in the actual Recommendation, the accompanying Staff Working Document largely rectifies this confusion. It underlines the untapped potential of energy communities as a “value driven, and community rooted business model (…) to create social cohesion, improve citizens’ understanding of the issues related to energy, climate and democracy, and trigger energy savings.” As a way of showcasing that potential, a number of results and examples from the CEES project are referenced, including the CEES survey carried out by the University of Birmingham and community projects Repowering London and Énergie Solidaire. Read our full analysis here: https://bit.ly/3Qje1b7

🚨 Blog post 🚨 💡 Community Energy for Energy Solidarity (CEES) partners Zelena Energetska Zadruga (Green Energy #Cooperative) have distributed 120 Energy Savings Packages to elderly people living in #EnergyPoor households in Zagreb, entirely funded by citizens' donations 👵🏻 In autumn 2022, ZEZ launched ‘Ease Their Troubles’, a donation campaign to help older citizens living in #energypoverty save on their monthly bills. With the help of local organisations working with similar target groups, such as the Red Cross Initiative, ZEZ identified vulnerable citizens who would benefit from an Energy Savings Package. 💸 The scheme was entirely funded by citizens, with individual donations totalling €8,750. ZEZ hopes to match this with private sector donations in the next phase of their project. More to come! 📖 Read more: https://bit.ly/3lhoska

Tackling #energypoverty in Croatia is tough, says Paula Damaska of ZEZ. Lack of any relevant policy means no data, while people distrust free help. Being interviewed on Croatian News1 convinced the public to support her campaign and seniors to participate! Click here to view the CEES webinar featuring Paula: https://bit.ly/3Tpm8q4 #energyjustice #energypoverty #justtransition #CEESWebinar #energypolicy

The European Commission’s Recommendation on Energy Poverty and accompanying Staff Working Document offer an unprecedented, ambitious statement, that CEES welcomes - but mixes up the distinction between *activities in the energy market* and *ways of governing the energy system* For the first time, the European Commission spells out that #EnergyPoverty concerns all countries in Europe. There is now a strong urge to address the issue once and for all, with long-term solutions, tackling structural inequalities 🎉🎉 Among these recommendations is a recognition of the importance of citizen empowerment and of the role energy communities can play in tackling energy poverty 👏👏 Unfortunately, the Recommendation itself confuses the distinction between activities in the energy market and ways of governing the energy system. Collective self-consumption and energy sharing are activities that can be facilitated or undertaken by other actors, not just #EnergyCommunities (this is currently being discussed in the revisions of the Electricity Market Directive). Energy communities are a *unique* way of governing the energy system: they are the only form of collective governance of the energy system, enabling the participation of citizens, formalised by the EU. While we regret this mix-up in the actual Recommendation, the accompanying Staff Working Document largely rectifies this confusion. It underlines the untapped potential of energy communities as a “value driven, and community rooted business model (…) to create social cohesion, improve citizens’ understanding of the issues related to energy, climate and democracy, and trigger energy savings.” As a way of showcasing that potential, a number of results and examples from the CEES project are referenced, including the CEES survey carried out by the University of Birmingham and community projects Repowering London and Énergie Solidaire. Read our full analysis here: https://bit.ly/3Qje1b7

🚨 Blog post 🚨 💡 Community Energy for Energy Solidarity (CEES) partners Zelena Energetska Zadruga (Green Energy #Cooperative) have distributed 120 Energy Savings Packages to elderly people living in #EnergyPoor households in Zagreb, entirely funded by citizens' donations 👵🏻 In autumn 2022, ZEZ launched ‘Ease Their Troubles’, a donation campaign to help older citizens living in #energypoverty save on their monthly bills. With the help of local organisations working with similar target groups, such as the Red Cross Initiative, ZEZ identified vulnerable citizens who would benefit from an Energy Savings Package. 💸 The scheme was entirely funded by citizens, with individual donations totalling €8,750. ZEZ hopes to match this with private sector donations in the next phase of their project. More to come! 📖 Read more: https://bit.ly/3lhoska