“Good ideas exist almost everywhere”

In France, social leasing makes electric vehicles more accessible to people who have little money to spare. In Ireland, lower-income groups are benefiting from wind power that would otherwise be dispatched down. Good ideas for effective social climate protection exist everywhere in Europe. In this issue of eco@work, we talk to Louise Sunderland, an expert in socially just energy policy at the NGO Regulatory Assistance Project, about effective ways to fight energy poverty.

Louise Sunderland, where do we stand regarding energy justice in Europe?

Energy poverty across Europe increased during the energy crisis – despite very significant spending by national governments on countermeasures. A new framework of energy policies has now been agreed that puts a much greater focus on alleviating energy poverty. But this framework now has to be implemented effectively to have a positive impact in people’s lives.

Is the buildings sector particularly difficult when it comes to energy justice?

As I see it, energy justice can’t be achieved by thinking sector by sector; it requires systemic thinking. But it is true that significant structural inequalities that cause energy inequity exist in the buildings sector. People with lower incomes disproportionately live in the worst performing homes. Investing in improving the quality of housing is a priority, of course, but this can compete with investment in new affordable housing. It’s a complex issue that will now be addressed in the EU context by the first Commissioner for Housing.

What are the most powerful instruments to fight energy poverty in the buildings sector?

Building renovations reduce energy demand and therefore bills. Increasingly, we see that access to local renewable energy is another key tool – via rooftop solar or an energy community, for example – particularly for households that heat or cool with electricity. Another tool that is increasingly available is demand flexibility – in other words, access to cheaper electricity at certain times. With this tool, “when” we use energy as well as “how much” energy we use dictates our final bill.

In your opinion, how effective will the EU’s new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive be in improving support for vulnerable households?

It includes some important new provisions, such as a requirement for renovations to focus first on the worst-performing homes in terms of energy efficiency, and one-stop-shops with dedicated services for Iow-income households. For full effect, however, the Directive should be implemented coherently with other instruments such as the Social Climate Fund and the Energy Efficiency Directive.

How could lower-income households participate in the profitable parts of climate protection?

Electricity markets are increasingly rewarding households that can leverage demand flexibility. This can already be achieved with existing assets like hot water tanks, electric heating and the ability of your home to hold heat. And of course, smart appliances, electric vehicles and heat pumps are other effective tools. Demand flexibility also supports an efficient electricity system.

Which European countries are already well ahead in fighting energy poverty?

Scotland and France have quite comprehensive measures to support households, particularly in the housing sector. Both countries have home renovation programmes that include priority schemes for low-income households but also offer something for every household. France has innovations like social leasing for electric vehicles, which makes clean private transport more accessible to people who can’t afford to buy a car. But good ideas exist almost everywhere. I’m thinking, for example, of EnergyCloud – an Irish social enterprise that provides lower-income households with wind power that would otherwise be dispatched down.

Thank you for talking to eco@work.
The interviewer was Christiane Weihe.

Talking to eco@work: Louise Sunderland, Director of the Europe Programme at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)