Life ReHABITA – Stakeholder Discussion Meeting

The team of Energy Agency of Plovdiv presented the progress of the LIFE ReHABITA project, as well as the activities offered by the ReHABITA Office in the city, which functions as a “one-stop shop” for citizens living in energy poverty. The office provides comprehensive support – from consultations and information on financing opportunities, to assistance with document preparation and coordination with institutions and partners. In this way, the process of home renovation becomes more accessible, administrative barriers are reduced, and access to support programs is accelerated.

A key element of the project’s activities is the organization of regular meetings – twice a year – with local stakeholders. These meetings serve as a platform for discussing concrete steps in developing a roadmap to overcome energy poverty. The latest meeting was held within the framework of the XIX National Conference of the Association of the Bulgarian Energy Agencies, focusing on the step 4 related to a formulation of a vision, outline of actions and definition of performance indicators.

Developing a shared vision for reducing energy poverty among different stakeholder groups is a critical step in building sustainable solutions. During the discussion, the radar methodology was applied, enabling the systematic arrangement and assessment of priorities across four dimensions – actions to be undertaken, roles of participants, tools and mechanisms for implementation, and the timeframe for realization.

The application of the Radar methodology supports clarity and consensus, providing a comprehensive overview of the stages to be implemented, combined with an assessment of their feasibility and potential impact. This tool creates conditions for planning policy actions that are both strategic and realistic.

Within the discussion, key topics were reviewed and assessed according to the timeframe and feasibility of implementation. These included the development of action plans to combat energy poverty, the management of the already established ReHABITA Office as a one-stop shop supporting energy renovation for vulnerable households, the provision of small kits to improve household energy efficiency, the replacement of solid-fuel heating devices, the integration of renewable energy sources through photovoltaic systems with cooling options, as well as the energy renovation of multi-family and single-family homes. Additionally, the possibility of creating an energy community to share renewable energy was discussed.

Photo credit: Energy Agency of Plovdiv

Source: Energy Agency of Plovdiv