The fight against energy poverty has, as of this month and for one year, two new measures included in the E_Lar Program - Sustainable Neighborhoods, which have funding of 100 million euros, according to the government.

The value of the measures, which had already been announced by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, results from the reprogramming of the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR).

The new measures, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy said in a statement, are designed to combat energy poverty, improve the thermal comfort of homes and support the most vulnerable families in the energy transition.

The E_Lar - Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort measure is designed to promote thermal comfort in homes by replacing inefficient household appliances and gas equipment with more efficient and sustainable electrical equipment. It is similar to the “Vale Eficiência” program, and is especially aimed at beneficiaries of the social energy tariff and minimum social benefits. According to the press release, the measure is simple, quick and effective, and involves local suppliers and companies.

The program of the two measures has funding of 90 million euros from the PRR and a further 10 million from the Environmental Fund. It follows a reprogramming of the RRP which reinforced support for energy poverty.

“Approved by the European Commission, this program will be simple and easy for people to access, with the capacity to implement,” the statement said.

The measures had already been announced by the minister in November last year, at a parliamentary hearing on the proposed State Budget for 2025. At the time, Maria da Graça Carvalho said that each of the measures would be allocated 50 million euros, and said that the so-called “windows program”, which financed the replacement of windows in homes, would come to an end.

In the statement, the Ministry recalls that in June next year the Social Climate Fund will come into force (until 2031), which will become the main instrument for responding to the social impact of the energy transition, with an allocation of 1.6 billion euros.

Last year, the government created the Climate Agency, which brings together and manages national and international climate funds, including the Social Climate Fund, which starts next year and is the result of the application of a European directive.

The government´s strategy, according to the statement, “combines social response and climate justice”, supports the reduction of gas consumption, promotes the electrification of consumption, strengthens energy efficiency and contributes to national decarbonization objectives, in line with the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030).

As the fight against energy poverty is a priority, the government is launching a new generation of programs that are “more effective, more accessible, have a direct impact on people´s lives and pave the way for the future Social Climate Fund”, said the minister quoted in the statement.







Source: https://www.idealista.pt
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