Energy Poverty 0

Context
Across Europe, increasing attention is being given to energy poverty, recognized as a crucial and urgent social issue. Regulations define energy poverty as the lack of access to essential energy services such as heating, hot water, cooling, lighting, and electricity for household appliance

According to data from the European Parliament, in 2022, more than 41 million European citizens were unable to keep their homes adequately warm. In response to this emergency, the European Commission has introduced political strategies and legislative frameworks, such as the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EU/2023/1791)[LP1]  and directives on gas and electricity, emphasizing the need to alleviate energy poverty, protect vulnerable populations, and support consumers. Additionally, the Renovation Wave under the European Green Deal aims to drive large-scale building renovations, improving living conditions for communities, while the Social Climate Fund prioritizes families affected by energy poverty as primary beneficiaries.

In Italy, according to the Italian Energy Poverty Observatory, more than 2.2 million households were affected by energy poverty in 2021, representing 8.5% of all families. These figures are based on official surveys from the National Energy Strategy (2017), the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC, 2020), and the ISTAT Annual Report 2023. This alarming increase in energy poverty is mainly attributed to rising energy prices and adverse climate conditions. While Southern Italy shows a higher prevalence than the North, there is significant regional variation. The most concerning aspect is that this crisis affects 950,000 children in 583,000 energy-poor households, with a 2.5 times higher impact on foreign families. The PNIEC 2020, submitted by the Italian government to the European Commission, aims to reduce energy poverty to between 7% and 8% of total households by 2030.

Energy poverty is a multidimensional issue that must be tackled holistically, considering its energy, environmental, and social aspects. The challenge requires deep and systematic renovation of Italy’s existing building stock, of which over 84% is residential (ENEA, 2019). Most Italian buildings were built before 1990, prior to the introduction of energy consumption regulations. In fact, over 85% of Italian buildings were built before 1991, and about 25% before 1945 (ENEA, 2019).

The Energy Poverty 0 (EP0) project follows the EnergieSprong model, an innovative Dutch initiative for energy-efficient building retrofits. This model involves the production of prefabricated building components, which are then installed on existing external surfaces.

This method minimizes material waste and allows for a fast renovation process, eliminating the need for temporary tenant relocation.

Project objectives

Three key action areas have been identified to promote off-site energy retrofits in vulnerable neighborhoods, aiming to combat energy poverty in both social and private housing.

1. Identifying areas for energy efficiency interventions

EP0 supports public administrations, local communities, and social housing operators in identifying priority areas for renovation. It is developing a digital tool to assess the potential of buildings for EnergieSprong retrofits. This tool will help aggregate demand for industrialized energy upgrades at the neighborhood level, reducing costs and implementation time, while accelerating the fight against energy poverty.

2. Residents engagement

EP0 has a strong participatory approach. Citizens’ involvement is a key element of the renovation strategy, alongside efforts to raise awareness about energy issues. The project will create guidelines and social tools to support future energy renovation processes. These resources aim to foster social cohesion, promote sustainable behaviors to maximize the benefits of renovations, and address the real needs of local communities.

3. Developing collective buying schemes

EP0 will lay the foundation for contractual models for collective buying of industrialized renovation solutions, bringing together public entities, private owners, and social housing operators. The goal is to facilitate collective purchases, lowering implementation costs and exploring financing options. Through collective buying schemes, local communities can play an active role as promoters and facilitators of the renovation process.

Project approach
Our strategy targets:

Project partners

The project is led by a consortium of 8 partners from 3 European countries, with Milan as one of the pilot cities.