Almada

In this short interview, Rui Sebastian (Almada City Council) and Catarina Alves (Local Energy management Agenca of Almada) introduce the Sun4All pilot in Almada, Portugal. Why did the city decide to join this project tackling energy poverty? What is the specificity of the financial scheme used in Almada?

Last but not least, two Portuguese beneficiaries report on their experience with the project and encourage other households to get involved.

Why here?

Data provided by the National Statistics Institute of Portugal in 2019 revealed that 19 % of the Portuguese population lives in households without the ability to keep the house adequately warm. One reason for this is the low energy efficiency of many buildings. Almada’s building stock has significant energy efficiency issues, with an assigned energy class (European Union energy label) equal to C or even lower for most buildings.

Therefore, within the scope of the Sun4All program, the city of Almada aims at supporting residents of social housing buildings, with a special focus on residents with a monthly income below the Social Support Index, as well as elderly inhabitants.

In doing so, the Sun4All project will build on the extensive engagement and awareness-raising activities conducted during the HERB project (= Holistic Energy-efficient Retrofitting of residential Buildings) that was implemented in Almada between 2012 and 2016 (see also here). The residents of the “HERB building” can take on mentor roles to support and address beneficiaries of the Sun4All project. Vulnerable households will be directly addressed and asked to participate in the Sun4All program. Participation includes the possibility to attend workshops, learn more about energy management at home and reduce energy bills. As part of the energy rehabilitation strategy for social housing, the pilot’s objective is to make social housing residents benefit from the existing as well as planned solar installations to boost acceptance and recognition of renewable energy.