ENERGISE
ENERGISE
Enhancing the Transition to Energy Citizenship
Slow progress on energy efficiency is undermining efforts to achieve SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) targets. Energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation and retrofits, help reduce energy expenditure and increase the affordability of energy in poorer households. While the Irish government has introduced measures to promote domestic energy efficiency to support lower income households, many of these measures require additional capital investment by households. Even where additional capital investment is not needed, there is limited uptake among lower income households due to lack of accessible information, ineligibility, or competing priorities. Evidence suggests that household-level face-to-face advice and support on improving energy efficiencies for low income households is needed and charities can operate effectively in this space.
Aims and Objectives
In this project researchers from UCC will work with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) to explore the barriers and enablers to greater energy efficiency in the home, and provide a set of practical guidelines and case studies to promote greater efficiency. The research will thereby help to progress SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and provide financial savings to low-income households.
The project sets out to:
- critically review national policy on energy efficiency in the home;
- explore MABS鈥 service users鈥 attitudes and practices in relation to household energy efficiency, and identify the barriers to increasing household energy efficiencies;
- identify the measures and supports needed to overcome these barriers;
- develop guides, infographics and good practice peer group case studies that will enable MABS to support their service users in improving household energy efficiency;
- provide policy insights to support MABS in making submissions to government on improving the accessibility of energy efficiency initiatives to low income households.
Project Outputs
Harris, G., McCarthy, O. and Petrie, I. (2022) 'ENERGISE', Seminar hosted by North Dublin MABS to share the findings & recommendations of the ENERGISE project, 16 February 2022. A recording of the seminar is available
McCarthy, O. and Harris, G. (2022) 'ENERGISE: Enhancing the Transition to Energy Citizenship', ISS21 seminar, 27 January 2022. Click on the links to access the ENERGISE seminar slides and .
McCarthy, O., Harris, G. and Amato, A. (2021) ENERGISE: Enhancing the transition to energy citizenship: Connecting households, MABS Policy Briefing Paper, December 2021.
McCarthy, O. and Amato, A. (2021) '', RTE Brainstorm, 8 November 2021.
Information leaflets:
Improving the energy efficiency of your home: Kate's story
Improving the energy efficiency of your home: Tom's story
In addition to the outputs listed above, the project findings and recommendations have been reported in the press and online, as follows:
- The Irish Examiner, 10th February 2022, (print version) 'Poor left behind by retrofit campaign'
- Irish Daily Mail, 10th February, 2022 (print version) 'Thousands call agency to ask to ask about retrofitting grants for homes'
- Phys.org, 10th February, 2022 'Study reveals why retrofitting homes will be difficult for low-income households'
- Rollercoaster.ie, 10th February, 2022 'Thousands call to ask about retrofitting grants for homes'
- The Irish Examiner, 9th February, 2022 'Retrofit scheme 'not enough' for low income, energy poor households'
- UCC 深夜亚洲福利久久 and Views, 9th February, 2022 'Study reveals why retrofitting homes will be difficult for low income households' /en/news/study-reveals-why-retrofitting-homes-will-be-difficult-for-low-income-households.html
Project funding and duration
This project has been funded through the IRC New Foundations programme from 2021-2022.
Contact
Dr Olive McCarthy (PI) Centre for Co-operative Studies, Cork 深夜亚洲福利久久 Business School at o.mccarthy@ucc.ie