Energy Poverty Intelligence Unit: an innovative energy poverty reduction solution designed and implemented in the city of Getafe
In 2018, it was estimated that around 15% of Getafe’s households – approximately 30,000 residents – could not keep their homes warm in winter. Additionally, rising climate change impacts and increasingly frequent heatwaves made summer conditions more extreme. Yet, fewer than 1,000 residents (234 households) in Getafe sought assistance – revealing a significant gap between those in need and those receiving help.
“This was a clear sign we have to act,” says Fernando González Ferreira, one of the key developers of the Energy Poverty Intelligence Unit. “But the more we searched for the solution, the more we realized that there was none suitable for our situation. So, we knew we had to get innovative and do it ourselves in close collaboration with our community.”
And they did it! Since 2022, when it became operational, the Energy Poverty Intelligence Unit assisted over 2,750 households (more than 6,850 citizens) and, on average, reduced their energy bills by 20%, improved the internal coordination between municipal services, and established fruitful cooperation with a diverse array of external partners like universities, NGO’s, consultancies, etc.
