Frugal Cities for a sustainable future: The FEEL Project

The Interreg Europe Project FEEL (Frugal cities through Energy Efficiency and Low-tech communities) aims to reduce carbon emissions and transition to a greener Europe through a sufficiency and cooperation approach. The FEEL project also aims to engage with key decisions makers to promote the frugal methodology in policy instruments.

Sufficiency is about meeting needs in ultra-simple ways using the least sophisticated and least expensive solutions possible, without altering the quality of the end result. Cooperation involves increasing collective benefits through cooperation between elected officials, entrepreneurs, and citizens.

There are 8 partners in the FEEL project led by the Local Climate and Energy Agency of South Brittany in Lorient, France. FEDARENE members, Mazovia Energy Agency and North Sweden Energy Agency, are involved.

The project partners will apply these principles in schemes to renovate older housing and engage their communities. The project will have two main challenges: developing the frugal approach through ultra-simple solutions, sufficiency, community engagement and transitioning to the frugal city through a business model, public acceptance, and adoption.

Through interregional learning, each project partner will improve their planning.

The project has a funding of over €2 million and runs from March 2023 to April 2027.