InventAir

The InventAir project aims to explore the multiple environmental and climate impacts of energy poverty by focusing on the development and implementation of clean air and energy poverty policies in Eastern European countries (EEC). Although the energy poverty theme is rapidly spreading over the EU, it has distinct specificities in EEC countries: low-income households cannot afford to change the old inefficient heating equipment or replace the poor quality heating fuels. Thus, they become the primary cause for dramatic seasonal increase in air pollution in their communities. The lack of precise data on the quantities and quality of the fuels used makes estimation of environmental, climate and health impacts difficult. InventAir will address the problem by developing a methodological framework for making an inventory of the energy poverty, transferring know-how and experience to develop municipal Woodstove Changeout roadmaps as effective policy tools to abate energy poverty and reduce pollutant emissions across EU.

In the long term the InventAir project will help shape local, national and EU policies and actions for tackling energy poverty and air pollution by bringing forwards and raising the public awareness on the link between the inefficient heating practices among energy poor households and the rapid air pollution in their communities.

The project will engage the local and national authorities in Bulgaria and Slovenia in understanding this cross-cutting issue and will empower them to elaborate evidence-based, structured solutions to alleviating energy poverty and reducing its climate and environmental impacts. It will propose Woodstove changeout roadmaps as effective policy documents that adequately support the national policies for reducing polluting emissions and alleviating energy poverty.

Through extensive transfer of knowledge and expertise from the German experience, the InventAir project will increase the knowledge and capacity of Eastern European energy and climate experts and practitioners to tackle energy poverty and air pollution. The Methodological framework to map and make inventories of energy poverty and estimate its impacts will serve as a reference basis for a range of local and national strategic documents.

The InventAir project will trigger expert and policy debate on the scope of energy poverty and its impacts on energy, climate, environment and health issues, and will support their definition so that EU-wide targets and objectives for rapid mitigation of energy poverty and strong enforcement of clean air policies are met on local and national level in the EEC.

Role of FEDARENE

FEDARENE will support the InventAir project through promotion and communication actions, including the organisation of a webinar.