Launch of Cold@Home - A journalistic investigation of fuel poverty
18th February 2016
Cold@Home
A journalistic investigation of fuel poverty
Across Europe and North America, fuel poverty is on the rise: nearly 100 million people are estimated to be unable to afford to keep their homes adequately warm during winter months. EnAct (The Energy Action Project), in association with the Renovate Europe Campaign (REC), presents Cold@ Home, a multimedia project that investigates the underlying causes of fuel poverty, it impacts on people and society, and the measures being taken by diverse actors to address it.
The project launched this week with a web documentary from Ukraine, where people are facing their first winter after the government put in place a sevenfold increase in natural gas prices overnight (1st April 2015). Over the next 12 weeks (until 7th May), diverse multimedia elements will explore specific aspects of fuel poverty (see the attached editorial calendar).
Cold@Home's underlying message is that fuel poverty is not about being poor. In most cases, the combination of low quality housing and high energy prices drives people into financial hardship, ultimately compromising their health and well-being.
The project integrates diverse media to highlight different types of content:
Features range from personal stories (e.g. web documentaries and feature articles) to interactive elements and expert interviews via podcast.
Inside is the project's core element. This daily blog has two parallel streams: The Basics covers one sub-topic in a short entry (~400 words); readers who wish can link to Indepth, where energy experts offer deeper insights, in plain language.
The Energy Diary is a social media element through which EnAct allows people to give glimpses of their own daily struggles. This aims to give people a voice and help reduce the stigma associated with fuel poverty also providing insights for those working on solutions.
In keeping with EnAct's mission, Reporting that seeks to empower, Cold@Home has a section called Act Now, which includes tips on how people living in fuel poverty can take small steps to improve their situation or where they can go for help. It will also suggest how others can help those in need.
Cold@Home will evolve as it unfolds: EnAct will welcome questions from it audiences, accept ideas for new stories or angles, and engage with additional experts as needed.
Background information
EnAct is an online platform investigating the causes and impacts of energy poverty worldwide, as well as solutions to address it. Jointly developed by seasoned journalists and energy experts, EnAct capitalizes on the power of multimedia to engage, inform, influence and empower.
To get a sense of EnAct's work, view their trailer video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmCO2Zb4mBw
Renovate Europe is an initiative of the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE). Its headline ambition is to reduce the energy demand of the building stock in the EU by 80% by 2050 as compared to 2005 levels. The REC is calling for ambitious renovation strategies to be drawn up all across the EU in order to triple the annual renovation rate of buildings in the EU from 1% to 3% by 2020 and to ensure that all renovations are deep or staged deep renovations.
Learn more about the Campaign: www.renovate-europe.eu
Renovate Europe December Newsletter is out!
93 signatories for the REC Manifesto, 4 National Events, the fifth edition of REDay, characterised by high-level speakers, successful best practices from all over Europe, a broad political support and the REDay2015 calendars to take notes of the 2016 events show that another successful year for the Renovate Europe Campaign is coming to an end.
With the new ambitious climate deal from COP21 the forthcoming 2016 appears to be full of commitments to stop global warming. As you know, buildings are responsible for almost 36% of CO2 emissions in Europe and renovation could therefore be the key to make the agreed 1,5 degrees target a reality.
Before getting ready to face another busy year for energy efficiency in buildings, with the revision of the EPBD and the EED, the campaigns on fuel poverty and a consolidating Energy Union, it is time to enjoy the Christmas holidays and find the awaited presents under the Christmas tree. The same amount of presents that energy efficiency renovation of buildings can bring: health and well-being, a safe and warm place against the cold times, the security of not being forced to the choice of « heating our homes or eating », as MEP Theresa Griffin outlines in the REDay2015 Highlights Video.
RENOVATION IN PRACTICE - BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES OF VOLUNTARY AND MANDATORY INITIATIVES ACROSS EUROPE
The BPIE report illustrates a diversity of approaches – some mandatory, some voluntary – to address the challenge of renovating buildings. These examples can serve as inspiration and motivation for policy makers, scheme administrators, investors, industry and indeed any stakeholder to use the experience outlined to influence the renovation market in a positive way. And, while the schemes described in the report are good examples of renovation, each has been through a learning process, and indeed there is scope for further improvement so as to increase the depth of renovation (to avoid lock-in) and to increase uptake rates. As governments and multi-national bodies around the world consider their response to the challenges of climate change energy security and provision of affordable energy, the ability to point to replicable schemes that are successfully delivering results is of paramount importance.
Renovate Europe Campaign Key Messages
Investing to improve energy efficiency will help the EU meet its economic, climate and societal challenges. Buildings have the greatest energy savings potential of all high-energy consuming sectors. They are the most cost-effective to reform and the EU regulatory framework is in place: BUT we have to make it happen!
What’s Behind an Energy Efficient Building Renovation? REDay2015 disclosed the multiple benefits!
On the 15th of October 2015, Renovate Europe organised its annual high-level conference REDay2015, entitled “It’s More than Renovation...”. Sponsored by its partners Knauf Insulation and Eurima, the event literally put the spotlight on the speakers, who emphasised the multiple benefits that deep energy renovation of the existing building stock can deliver in different fields, at different levels and in different countries.
What’s behind an energy efficient renovated building? Our countdown started over one week ago, when Renovate Europe launched its red building. Day by day, benefit by benefit, the Renovate Europe building showed that It’s More than Renovation. It’s indeed energy security, an investment opportunity, local jobs and growth, health and well-being, smart development and CO2 reductions. The high point was reached yesterday morning, when the main entrance of the Renovate Europe building opened. It not only launched a brand new website (www.renovate-europe.eu ), but also released the REDay2015 video, containing unique messages from three Commissioners.
For Katainen, “There is great potential for multiple benefits from improving our buildings through holistic renovations”. Canete added that “For those that say renovations are too expensive, my message is that climate change mitigation is not a brake on the economy. It is pro-investment and pro-growth”. And to complete the trio, Šefčovič labelled “Energy efficiency of buildings [as] a triple win: benefiting consumers who will pay lower bills and enjoy greater comfort; benefiting the economy by creating new jobs; and of course benefiting the environment”. This way, the EU Commission showed its support for the Renovate Europe campaign. Political support has also grown in the EU Parliament. Indeed, last Friday, the REC welcomed its 93rd signatory, MEP Afzal Khan(S&D, UK).
“An energy efficient building realised by deep renovation not only brings energy demand reduction and delivers multiple benefits to meet our growth and climate ambition, it includes the potential to reduce costs and increase efficiencies on the supply side” said Jan te Bos, Director General at Eurima. Sian Hughes, Head of EU Public Affairs for Knauf Insulation, added: "The next 12 months are going to be very important as the European Union looks at ways to deliver their 2030 Energy and Climate targets, whilst delivering on ambitious jobs and growth objectives. Renovation ticks all the boxes. REDay2015 helped to drive awareness amongst policy and decision makers in Brussels and across Europe of the enormous benefits of renovation. "
The participants at the event learnt about the success of over 1,700 completed renovations in Lithuania, the approved 3% annual renovation rate for social housing in Essen, Germany, the €100 m given to Energies POSIT’IF by the EFSI fund, the first prescriptions from doctors for deep renovation in UK as only a few of the examples presented at REDay2015 that show the growing number of successful practical cases from all over Europe.
“Individual renovation projects have shown over and over that it is possible to reduce the energy demand in buildings by more than 80 % in a cost-effective manner,” explained Adrian Joyce, Renovate Europe Campaign Director. “Now we need to focus our attention on how to widen these innovative financial schemes for ambitious energy renovation of the existing building stock, and achieve a solid regulatory framework for Better Buildings”
More than 140 attendees, high-level speakers, successful best practices from all over Europe, political support from three Commissioners, 5 National events approaching made REDay2015 a successful conference. REDay2015 also showed that more can still be done. A coherent ambitious legislative framework, innovative financing mechanisms and a mix of ambition at the top level, supporting bottom-up approaches are the solutions proposed that will bring Europe closer to the ambition of the Campaign to reduce the energy demand of the existing building stock by 80% by 2050. Ahead of what may be another cold winter, REDay2015 delivered solutions to make the best out of our building stock, showing all the multiple benefits of energy efficient renovation.