Funding energy efficiency in low-income households
Frankfurt am Main, Germany 724 486 inhabitants
Fuel poverty - Incentives for local stakeholders and citizens - Information, education
Fuel poverty has become a burning issue for many local authorities. How can they deal with such individual problems? Already in 2005, Frankfurt has set up a very innovative approach by combining labour market policy instruments and a classical home visit. By conducting energy audits the city instructs and motivates low-income households to save energy. Since its first success in Frankfurt, the “Energiesparservice” (energy saving service) has become a nationally widespread project on how to deal with the increasing numbers of fuel poor households.
Related Energy Cities'Proposals for the energy transition
Empowering local players
Eradicate local fuel poverty
The problem at hand
The era of cheap energy is over. The costs for accessing the energy sources, as well as production and trans -port costs, are making further increases in energy prices inevitable. The introduction of energy and carbon taxes instead of labour taxes that penalise the economy also has a role to play in this. Taxing a rare product leads to a reduction in its consumption, one of the major components of the energy transition. Therefore we are going to use less of a more expensive energy. The thermal quality of our dwellings and the performance of our equipment will improve. A more virtuous approach to urban planning will make us adopt new modes of transport, leading to behavioural changes. During this transition phase, an increasing proportion of the population will not be able to pay for heating and transport, two essential functions of everyday life. Several countries have adopted a plan to fight fuel poverty, with varying results. Action must be taken at the local level, where social situations are better known.
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