Alleviating energy poverty
The commitment of European signatories defines the vision that by 2050, we will all be living in decarbonised and resilient cities with access to affordable, secure and sustainable energy. As part of the Covenant of Mayors - Europe movement, signatories commit to tackling energy poverty as one key action to ensure a just transition.
Energy poverty results from a combination of low income, high expenditure of disposable income on energy and poor energy efficiency, especially as regards the performance of buildings. People in inefficient buildings are more exposed to cold spells, heatwaves and other impacts of climate change. An EU-wide survey concluded that in 2020, 8% of the EU population said that they were unable to keep their home adequately warm. Energy poverty therefore remains a major challenge and lifting vulnerable citizens out of it is an urgent task for the EU and its members. (Source: European Commission)
Energy poverty pillar of CoM-Europe
To support signatories in their planning and implementation efforts on energy poverty, the Covenant of Mayors Europe Office, in cooperation with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), and through engagement of a wide group of practitioners, developed the energy poverty pillar of the CoM – Europe reporting and monitoring framework.
The pillar was officially launched in May 2022 – see the webinar and related presentations.
The reporting guidelines on energy poverty provide step-by-step guidelines on how to report on energy poverty in the MyCovenant reporting platform.
Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH)
The Covenant of Mayors Europe Office is closely collaborating with the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) - the leading EU initiative on energy poverty. EPAH is a collaborative network of stakeholders aiming to eradicate energy poverty and accelerate the just energy transition of European local governments, through empowering municipalities to take actions. EPAH provides a wide range of capacity building and hands-on support to local authorities across Europe, including though a dedicated Energy Poverty Helpdesk.
Covenant signatories are encouraged to consult the knowledge materials developed by the EPAH and approach their Helpdesk in parallel to using the Covenant framework on energy poverty.
Case studies
- Zagreb, Croatia: A multi-stakeholder partnership to eradicate energy poverty
- Les Mureaux, France: Fighting energy poverty through a network of committed actors
- Porto, Portugal: Fighting energy poverty through deep renovation of buildings
- Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom: Improving living standards and reducing energy poverty
Useful resources
- Alleviating energy poverty – useful resources (CoM publication)
- Local and international projects and measures addressing energy poverty across the world (EPAH Atlas)
- Tackling energy poverty through local actions. Inspiring cases from across Europe (EPAH report)
- Open online training courses on energy poverty (EPAH)