Local pilot projects towards the reduction of energy poverty and firewood use

As part of the LIFE BIO-BALANCE project, there were four local pilot projects – across three countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania – implemented, aiming to test practical small-scale interventions that best fit the identified needs of firewood-dependent, low-income communities. 

The three national Habitat for Humanity (HfH) offices managed the implementation in each location with local municipalities, community organizers, and coordinators. HfH Hungary developed two guidelines about the pilot projects in light of the experiences: 

• The Local pilot projects towards the reduction of energy poverty and firewood use guidebook summarises the local pilot projects, the best practices that resulted from their implementation, the lessons learnt during the process as well as recommendations for replicability;
• The Local pilot projects: Capacity building and multi-stakeholder planning guidebook describes the steps and stakeholders of implementation and the target group engagement in the context of local capacity building.

Case Studies and Interventions

The pilot projects took place at 4 locations: one site each in Bulgaria and Romania and 2 sites in Hungary. These locations varied from urban segregated communities and suburban areas to small rural villages. The tested interventions in the pilot projects can be grouped into three categories, depending on whether they relate to access to good quality firewood, improving the energy efficiency of beneficiaries' houses, or awareness-raising activities around more sustainable biomass use. At each site, there were multiple types of interventions involving at least two of the above-mentioned categories.

‘Hard’ (i.e. physical, technical/ infrastructural) measures

The intervention type Increasing access to dry firewood included the practices of setting up revolving funds for purchasing firewood and building both individual and community-level storage facilities for drying firewood. As part of the Energy efficiency interventions, wood stove exchange, the replacement of windows and doors, and attic insulation were tested. 

‘Soft’ (i.e. community/social work) measures

Soft measures focused on capacity building and community involvement. During implementation, residential workshops and forums were held at all pilot locations as Awareness-raising activities about sustainable firewood use and energy efficiency. Furthermore, in one of the Hungarian pilot sites, there was an additional community-building element: organizing a savings group and community treasury. Outreach methods included household surveys and mobilization via local networks. These efforts increased participation, and fostered trust and solidarity within the community.

Lessons Learnt

Feedback from the implementers emphasised the value of community-driven approaches. Key challenges such as material cost inflation, firewood shortages, administrative and bureaucratic hurdles affected implementation causing delays. Successes included stronger community bonds, the introduction of energy-efficient solutions, and the empowerment of beneficiaries. Innovative practices like revolving firewood funds and firewood drying facilities proved effective, while stove exchange programs were less scalable. Recommendations highlight the importance of combining technical solutions with social interventions for long-term sustainability and replication.

Recommended links:

• LIFE BIO-BALANCE projects webpage
• Habitat for Humanity Hungary’s Guidebooks
• Habitat for Humanity Hungary’s Study: Fuel of the Poor on household use of firewood in Central and Eastern Europe

This blog article is a contribution written by a guest author: Anna Turnai, Habitat for Humanity Hungary.

Anna Turnai is a Sociologist with extensive experience in EU-funded social projects, specializing in stakeholder engagement, qualitative research, and social policy analysis. She works with Habitat for Humanity Hungary's Advocacy team on energy poverty alleviation projects, focusing on social housing subsidies and community coordination.