BioJust – Just Transition for Solid-Fuel-Dependent Households
Supporting the energy transition of solid-fuel-dependent, energy-poor households in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania by improving national policies, developing financial instruments and local action plans and assisting municipalities in their implementation.
Buildings Energy Policy Energy Transition Energy Transition and Climate-Neutral Buildings Renewable Energy
Project info
Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania
11/23 - 12/25
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886,519.33 €
Contact info
Luca Papp
- Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria
- Habitat for Humanity International Hungary Non-profit LLC (HFHI HU)
- WWF Bulgaria
- WWF Romania
Background
The residential sector accounts for 28 per cent of EU Member States’ energy consumption. Most of it is used for heating. In Romania, 90 per cent of residential buildings are heated with solid biofuels, especially forest biomass; the figures for Bulgaria and Hungary are 58 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively. Solid fuel is more common in lower-income rural households.
Firewood is therefore often referred to as the ‘fuel of the poor’ and is the first pillar of the EU’s strategy A Renovation Wave for Europe to tackle energy poverty and worst-performing buildings. From 2025, energy poverty must be addressed in the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) in all EU Member States.
Project
The project supports national policy makers in developing national strategies to decarbonise the building stock and to create financial instruments to facilitate local energy transition measures. Policy recommendations are developed, and national and local politicians are advised on how to initiate systematic policy and financial changes. The project addresses
- the development of social climate plans and national building renovation plans,
- the finalisation of the three countries’ National Energy and Climate Plans, to be revised in 2024,
- the revision of their long-term climate strategies.
In addition, local authorities are provided with guidelines, planning tools, know-how and networking opportunities to help them develop local energy transition action plans for space heating. They are also supported to reach out to households that are dependent on solid fuels, promoting a transition towards more climate-friendly energy sources such as renewable energies. Information campaigns help to raise public awareness.
Model solutions are tested in four pilot municipalities with a large proportion of vulnerable households, and municipal employees are trained to apply local guidelines and implement tested solutions. The guidelines are also disseminated to other countries for replication to support the development of the SECAPs’ energy poverty pillar.
Last update: May 2024