The Naturgy Foundation and the Council of Terrassa help around 140 vulnerable families use power more efficiently and reduce their energy bills

The Energy School from the energy company’s foundation has carried out 22 sessions, with 10 more scheduled before December, through the Oficina Municipal de Atención a la pobreza Energética y Promoción de la Eficiencia Energética [Municipal Office for Addressing Energy Poverty and Promoting Energy Efficiency, OFIMAPE].

Escuela de Energía

Around 140 vulnerable families in Terrassa have been helped at the Naturgy Foundation’s Energy School training sessions since January. They have been carried out together with the Oficina Municipal de Atención a la pobreza Energética y Promoción de la Eficiencia Energética [Municipal Office for Addressing Energy Poverty and Promoting Energy Efficiency, OFIMAPE] in Terrassa.

The aim of the Naturgy Foundation workshops is to offer vulnerable families some guidelines on how to consume energy more efficiently, so they can reduce the amount of their bills without affecting their home comfort. The content of these workshops held in Terrassa has been adapted to assess and meet the demands of older people.

In addition to tips on how to consume energy more efficiently while going about the daily routine at home, they have received advice for actions that could reduce their energy bill. The most common actions have been the change of contracts in the tariff electricity and gas market (a total of 68); the suitable electrical power contracted for the specific needs of the people supported (62); and contracting time-differentiated pricing (62).

OFIMAPE and the Naturgy Foundation are working together on a new calendar to resume the training sessions and hold 10 more before December.

The Energy School is a project by the Naturgy Foundation, which is framed within Naturgy’s Energy Vulnerability Plan. María Eugenia Coronado, managing director of the Naturgy Foundation, highlights the alliance they have with councils such as Terrassa, and with social entities to carry it out: “This initiative is only possible thanks to the support of others with plenty of experience in this field, such as the public authorities, and the professionals and volunteers from NGOs, such as Cruz Roja and Cáritas, as well as many other social organisations that are doing a great job throughout Spain,” she said.

Lluïsa Melgares, councillor for Social Housing in Terrassa, says: “Designing these workshops specifically for older people is very positive because we should bear in mind it is a vulnerable group. What often happens with older people is that they reduce their energy consumption to an uncomfortable minimum, so they do not have to spend.”

The 140 families that have benefited from this initiative and received support at the workshops have also been subsequently monitored by OFIMAPE to ensure they do not have any doubts and to assess whether they need a home visit from an energy advisor to identify any consumption issues. In this respect, Melgares stated: “Information and education is only one of OFIMAPE’s lines of action. OFIMAPE also accompanies families in assessing consumption, advising and, when necessary, working with supply companies with the ultimate goal of reducing energy poverty as much as possible in Terrassa.”

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