We are very happy to share the outcomes of the Energy Cafés organised in Kastoria, Heraklion and Chania within the framework of the POWERINGCITIZENS project.
The events aimed to initiate participatory group discussions and collective reflection on the phenomenon of energy poverty, using group-based dialogue and tailor made questionnaires. The questionnaires used focused on participant’s perceptions of energy use and energy vulnerability, energy costs, housing conditions, climate change and energy justice.
Energy Cafés Key Outcomes:
- Participants defined energy vulnerability as the inability to meet basic energy needs, associating it with high energy prices, low income, poor household conditions and energy pressure due to climate change. They highlighted significant consequences of it on people’s daily consumption, housing choices, and leisure, transport and education expenses. They also reported negative impacts on health and well-being, and constraints on future planning.
- Participants emphasised the presence of energy pressure during both winter and summer, due to extremely low temperatures and prolonged heatwaves associated with climate crisis.
- Many participants commented on the unjust nature of energy transition, referring to unequal access to measures and disproportionate costs affecting citizens.
- As proposed solutions, participants prioritised reducing energy costs, raising public awareness, improving household’s energy performance through targeted technical interventions and simplification of procedures, supporting tenants, and strengthening local collective structures such as energy communities.
At a time when energy issues are increasignly affecting citizen’s living conditions, these discussions offered valuable insights into undestanding the lived experience of energy poverty, but also empowering people and communities towards a fair and inclusive transition.
We would like to thank Konstantina Togaridou (Network of Women Enterpreneurship Western Macedonia Greece), Antonis Gialamas (Youth Crete), and Antonios Kalogerakis (Ecological Initiative of Chania), for co-organising the events in each city and contributing to their successful implementation through their motivation, personal commitment and expertise in climate action.