Deep REnovation roadmaps to decrease households VulnERability To Energy poveRty

Introduction

Energy poverty (EP) is a crucial socioeconomic problem, as it deprives people of a basic standard of living and quality of life. There are several factors associated with EP, but it is mainly connected with three causes: high energy costs, low household income, and energy-inefficient buildings.

Project Overview

REVERTER will develop a number of roadmaps to alleviate energy poverty by addressing the poor energy efficiency of dwellings. The roadmaps will target the worst performing homes first (“worst first” principle) and will be tailor-made to the characteristics of the building stock, the vulnerable households, and the climate conditions. This approach will ensure coverage of a sufficiently cohesive group of cases, allowing for a larger-scale rollout and replication of the proposed actions.

Goals and Objectives

By targeting the worst homes first and focusing on the most cost- and environmentally effective renovation methods through integrated assessment, REVERTER will help to:

1. Upgrade a greater number of homes for a given budget.
2. Maximize energy and cost savings.
3. Reduce GHG and other pollutant emissions.

Addressing Challenges

REVERTER will cope with split-incentive dilemmas and will address market, information, and behavioral failures through the creation of “one-stop shops” as defaults for the enrollment of vulnerable households in subsidy schemes for building retrofit.

Community Engagement

These households will be helped to increase their awareness about efficient energy use before and after energy interventions by:

• REVERTER Ambassadors
• Information campaigns
• Capacity building actions

All these efforts aim to improve their health, well-being, and living comfort.

Pilot Testing

REVERTER will test the roadmaps by setting up a network of pilots in four different European countries:

1. Bulgaria
2. Greece
3. Latvia
4. Portugal

These countries cover different climate regions and socioeconomic conditions. Through engagement with local, national, and EU stakeholder groups and experts, REVERTER will embed the roadmaps in future policies for the reduction of energy poverty.