The problem of energy poverty
The UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development addresses the issue of energy poverty (SDG 7), underlining the fact that, worldwide, there are 840 million people who have no access to electricity..
In Italy, according to the latest report from the OIPE (Italy’s poverty energy monitoring body), an estimated 2.2 million people, almost 9% of the population, are unable to satisfy their primary energy requirements (to sufficiently heat their homes and for the use of electronic devices).
The Covid 19 emergency highlighted the economic hardships and social fragility afflicting Italy today. In addition to the increase in raw material prices and resulting rise in the cost of energy, there is the cost of the ecological transition, whose objectives, if not adequately backed, risk aggravating the
- Non-profit energy bank
- Model of action
- The “Energy in the outskirts” project
- Sustainable line of credit
Non-profit energy bank
Our response to energy poverty
The Banco dell’energia (Energy Bank) is a non-profit organization promoted by A2A and by the AEM and ASM Foundations, with the aim of helping families who find themselves in a situation of economic and social vulnerability. Founded in 2016, it was the first organization in Italy that set out to offer concrete solutions to the problem of energy poverty.
Today, the Banco dell’Energia, active mainly in Lombardy, is working on various fronts, with the ambitious aim of broadening the scope of its activities and of providing effective mid- to long-term solutions. The organization focusses its commitment on increasing awareness of energy consumption in the home, on accessibility to energy-efficiency solutions and on economic support for vulnerable individuals and families. In December 2021, the Banco dell’energia promoted the ‘Fighting energy poverty together’ (Insieme per contrastare la povertà energetica) Manifesto, actively involving businesses, associations and foundations on the theme of energy poverty.
Model of action and impacts on communities
For the first time in Italy, utility bills become a way of donating: domestic A2A Energy customers can activate a standing donation in their bill for the equivalent of two weeks of electricity or one week of heat
Domestic A2A Energy customers can activate a standing donation in their bill for the equivalent of two weeks of electricity or one week of heat.
As a Group, we have undertaken to double all the donations made by customers and thus multiply the value of this gesture by all the participants in the scheme.
Other stakeholders (suppliers, employees and other businesses) can show their support by using the traditional channels of donation.
In particular, we make available innovative methods of donation such as the purchase of self-produced goods.
The model of action, in addition to providing help with urgent payments, sets out to meet the following objectives on a structural basis:
- Creation of inclusion and work-related pathways - "generative welfare" perspective.
- Development of networks both for schemes and events – with third-party non-profit organizations – and for donations (for example, the Doniamo Energy (Let’s donate energy) scheme, which has run three times since 2017 in collaboration with the Cariplo Foundation).
- Identification of forms of poverty as yet unrecorded
- Roll-out of awareness campaigns in order to stimulate public debate on the issue of energy poverty
- Development of training projects - A2A, in collaboration with universities and research centres, offers training opportunities designed to raise energy awareness and influence individual and collective behaviour.
- Setting-up of working groups to provide discussion forums for stakeholders
I risultati ottenuti
>6 Mln€
Raised and distributed
48
Projects funded
10,000
Families helped
The “Energy in the outskirts” project
The first “Energy in the Outskirts” project is taking place in the Quarto Oggiaro district of Milan
The project, made possible thanks to the support of non-profit organizations, academic institutions and private firms (NextEnergy Foundation, Signify, Aisfor) will contribute in a number of ways:
- Helping about 100 families and needy individuals with the payment of electricity and gas bills, regardless of which utility company issued them
- Organizing training courses on responsible energy consumption.
- Creating a network of partnerships with help centres run by Caritas
- Donating to each family about seven months of electricity or four months of gas thanks to a fund of 30,000 euros.
The “Energy in the Outskirts” scheme will be extended to other parts of Italy with the aim of putting the sphere of action of the Bank on a national scale as well as promoting more and more projects related to energy, with medium- and long-term solutions.
Sustainable line of credit in support of non-profit energy bank
The Energy Bank non-profit organization also benefits from the contribution
deriving from the sustainability-linked line of credit opened by the A2A Group in July 2021.This five-year, 500-million-euro revolving line of credit is linked to the achievement of two sustainability objectives set out in the 2012-2030 Business Plan and included in the Sustainable Finance Framework:
- Energy transition: increase in the renewable source installed capacity – 2022 objective of 2.2 GW
- Circular economy: increase in the recovery of material from processed waste – 2024 objective of 1.4 Mt
The line foresees a margin adjustment mechanism both in the case of A2A meeting the targets set (step down) and in the case of the Group not meeting the sustainability targets (step up). Measurement and adjustments will be made on a yearly basis until the expiry of the line of credit.
The saving made due to the achieving of the targets or the potential penalty relating to failure to meet the targets will go to benefit communities and be donated to the non-profit Energy Bank.
SDGs di riferimento
Useful resources
Services
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