INZEB, a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable energy policies, has recently shared their insights on energy poverty diagnosis in Greece. The organisation contributed to an article published by the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub – EPAH, which focuses on practical experiences from two municipalities under EPAH technical assistance.
One of the municipalities mentioned in the article is Ampelokipi-Menemeni, a Greek city with a population of approximately 50,000 citizens. INZEB has supported the city in their energy poverty diagnosis attempt, which is a challenging task given the city’s multi-diverse citizens’ educational, occupational, and income background.
To obtain a thorough depiction of the situation, INZEB developed several activities in collaboration with the municipal departments. A stakeholders’ identification and mapping process took place with the support of the social and technical divisions of the municipality. The process requires a holistic approach, and the support of local actors is necessary to manage it effectively.
The city of Zagreb in Croatia is also mentioned in the article. The city, with the support of the Croatian Society for Sustainable Development Design, is developing a clear and robust energy poverty diagnosis. The focus of the activities is on data collection, which is one of the main challenges regarding energy poverty diagnosis. Quantitative research on energy consumption, practices, and energy characteristics of households was conducted, with data collected from 388 households.
The two municipalities’ experiences show the importance of diagnosis in the process of tackling energy poverty. The data collected by surveys and mapping activities allow cities to better understand the local levels of energy poverty and determine appropriate actions and measures through a bottom-up approach. With these insights, cities can set up future-proof sustainable action plans to minimise energy poverty levels in their municipalities.
Read the whole article, here.