WEBINAR

Out of Sight, Out of Reach? Overcoming Barriers to Reach Those Who Need the Social Climate Plans the Most

28 May 2025, 11:00-13:00 CEST

Register Here

As the European Union rolls out its Social Climate Plans (SCPs) under the Social Climate Fund, there is growing concern that the measures intended to address energy poverty and support vulnerable households in the green transition are not reaching those most in need. This is of particular concern, as with the upcoming ETS2, these households will be under additional pressure, if not supported on time with the right measures.

In many Member States, existing programs to support home renovations, electrification, and clean heating systems have left behind entire groups—due to housing insecurity, indebtedness, upfront costs, or poor targeting mechanisms. Civil society organisations on the ground have developed innovative ways to bridge these gaps, but these approaches are rarely integrated into national climate strategies.

This webinar brings together practitioners, local policy analysts, and civil society organisations to ask:

Who has been left behind by existing energy poverty alleviation programs?
What common barriers prevent the most vulnerable from accessing support?
How can we ensure SCPs are designed and implemented to overcome these barriers and truly target low-income and marginalised groups?
Are the ongoing public consultations on the way to reaching this goal?
Discussion Focus

The webinar will explore several critical themes:

Common Barriers

Why energy efficiency must come before electrification (e.g., heat pumps provided in Poland without prior renovations leading to higher costs (Michal Wojtylo).
Debt and affordability challenges with social leasing models (example of the caravan loan scheme in Ireland, Aoife Foley National Traveller MABS).
The intersection of housing insecurity and renovation programs (Jan Milota)

Solid Fuel Users and ETS2 Impacts

Understanding the position of households reliant on coal and wood (Irish Rural Link)
How SCPs can provide income-supportive measures (Michal Wojtylo)

Civil Society Practices to Overcome Existing Barriers

Community-based and revolving fund models to fully cover renovation costs. + One-stop-shops (OSS) as bridges between public schemes and hard-to-reach households. (Zsuzsanna Koritar HfHH, Svetoslav Stoykov Za Zemiata Bulgaria)

Are the consultations inclusive, do they recognize existing barriers?

Challenges in targeting, time pressure (Miljenka Kuhar, DOOR)
Challenges in the consultations
Reflections on the ongoing SCP consultations. + Are we genuinely building inclusive policies, or repeating the pattern of excluding those in greatest need? (Panel discussion)

Invited Speakers:

Louise Lennon - Irish Rural Link – Experience with renovation programs for solid fuel users.
Aoife Foley - National Traveller Monetary Advice & Budgetary Service, Ireland – The risks of debt and exclusion in social leasing schemes.
Zsuzsanna Koritar - Habitat for Humanity Hungary – One-stop-shops and revolving funds that cover upfront renovation costs.
Miljenka Kuhar - DOOR Croatia – Challenges in reaching and effectively targeting vulnerable groups.
Michal Wojtylo - Reform Institute – electrification challenges and impact of ETS2 on coal users.
Jan Milota - Czech Social Housing Platform – Housing precarity and its impact on access to renovation support.
Svetoslav Stojkov - Za Zemiata Bulgaria - SCP consultations + single family homes renovation