contract number: iee/13/524/si2.675825 last modified: 30...
TRANSCRIPT
Contract number: IEE/13/524/SI2.675825
Project duration: 33 months
Last modified: 30/11/2016
Updated Aug 2013
Project Summary
• Co-funded by Intelligent Energy Europe
• Engaged faith based organisations to promote energy efficient
behaviour and energy saving activities in homes
• Aimed to support households to achieve energy savings, reducing CO2
emissions and supporting lasting behaviour change
• Worked with volunteer Energy Champions from within faith
communities, who were given free training in saving energy and how to
deliver energy advice to their friends, families and local community
• Engaged and supported parts of communities that are often harder to
reach or facing difficulties paying their energy bills
Updated Aug 2013
Project Partners
8 organisations in 8 EU member states:
• UK: Groundwork London (Lead Partner)
• Austria: 17&4
• Belgium: 21 Solutions
• Czech Republic: Veronica, Ecological Institute
• France: Prioriterre
• Ireland: Energy Action
• Italy: Okoinstitut Sûdtirol
• Sweden: Skane Energy Agency
Updated Aug 2013
Partnership Meetings
Updated Aug 2013
Project Activities
• Engaging faith communities across each partner region
• Recruiting Energy Champions, training and supporting them to give
advice
• Recording pledges made by households and evaluating the impact of
this in terms of energy saved and CO2 emissions reduced
• Developing a range of project materials, to support Energy Champions
and to encourage others to run similar initiatives across Europe
• Sharing our experiences, materials and results with stakeholders across
Europe
Updated Aug 2013
Major Outputs and Results
• The partnership has established and tested a standard methodology for
the delivery of energy saving behaviour change campaigns via faith
based networks that is applicable on a pan-European basis
• Seven of the project partners undertook an average of 105 domestic
demonstration energy assessments and advice sessions (led by
professional advisers) in the homes of members of faith based networks –
734 in total
• Each of these partners trained an average of 58 members of the faith
based networks with which they were engaged to become volunteer
energy champions – 405 volunteers in total, trained through 61 sessions
Updated Aug 2013
Major Outputs and Results
• Once the volunteers were trained, the partners provided ongoing
management, administration and support functions that assisted them in
undertaking a total of 4,714 domestic energy advice sessions for other
members of their faith networks
• During SPIRIT over 4,800 advised households made a combined total of
over 28,800 pledges to change the way they use energy in the home,
through simple actions and small measures
• These pledges, if kept, equate to total estimated savings of over 2,500
tonnes of CO2 emissions and almost 7,800 MWh of energy per year, or
an average of 0.52 t CO2 and 1.6 MWh per household
Updated Aug 2013
Spirit Project
Updated Aug 2013
What have we learned?
• Climate change is a concern for faith communities, but in general this has
not translated to local action in energy management and behaviour change
• Engaging these communities on energy efficiency can be time consuming,
requiring a bespoke approach for each community
• Many engaged communities are motivated more by how they/their
community benefit than environmental impacts
• The way messages are framed is key; group discussions that harness the
power of social norms, public commitments and the social aspects of faith
communities have been popular
Updated Aug 2013
Spirit Project Resources
Available at www.spirit-project.eu:
Faith Community Engagement Manual
• Offers guidance for those looking to engage faith
groups on energy efficiency
• Considers links between faith and environment
• Sets out considerations for adapting energy efficiency
advice to faith context
• Highlights potential engagement approaches
• Presents faith specific considerations and barriers
• Shares case studies from Spirit partners
• Available in all partner languages
Updated Aug 2013
Spirit Project Resources
Training materials, Energy Champion Manual, pledge cards:
Plus, energy saving advice in all partner
languages available at www.spirit-project.eu
Updated Aug 2013
European Project Website
www.spirit-project.eu
@EE_Spirit_EU
Updated Aug 2013
Contact
Groundwork London
Project Coordinator
Hannah Baker