The second Joint Staff Training (JST) event of the C.H.A.N.G.E.R.S. project was organized by BSC Kranj. The event was held online on 6, 7 and 8 October 2021, bringing together fifteen attendees from the partner countries and 6 lecturers from Slovenia.
The second joint staff training was divided into three days and so into three sections. The main goal of the first day was to present energy poverty in Slovenia (its background, current statistics, etc.), to renew our knowledge about energy poverty and poverty in general with an interactive quiz, and to meet the REFURB project whose consortium aimed to increase the renovation rate by bridging the gap between the supply side (building sector) and demand side (homeowners).
On the second day our colleagues from LEAG (Local energy agency of Gorenjska Region, Slovenia) presented 4 projects and gave us the envision in the energy poverty work field in Slovenia in the past and current situation. The presented projects:
TRECE and ERASMUS+ projects – Training program for social agents and public authorities, to address a vulnerable sector (people in energy poverty situation).
INNOVEAS and Horizon 2020 projects – Consolidation of a structured, permanent, and expandable offer to help develop continuous self-sustainable services to raise the awareness and build capacity in the field of energy auditing and related energy saving measures in SMEs.
SECAP project – Promotion of the sustainable growth of the cross-border area by promoting carbon reduction strategies for all types of areas, in particular urban areas, and by developing appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures.
BUILD2LC project – Improvement of low-carbon economy policies, given that it aims at promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy through the energy.
On the third day, three further projects were presented, and we concluded the 2nd JST with a short interactive workshop. Presented projects:
Dynamic Light is a transnational project involving 16 partners from seven different Central European countries. The various partners are cooperating to investigate and evaluate typical lighting situations in the respective municipalities.
Project Reaal – Renewable Energy Across the Alpine Land – has been carried out with the help of a Swiss contribution. The project was led by BSC Kranj and involved ten of Gorenjska’s municipalities. Through investments in twelve public buildings, the project has fostered the use of renewable energy and energy efficient systems.
Project Peace Alps – PEACE Alps partnership is composed of 11 partners coming from 6 different European countries. Centralized solutions established with project partners at regional level based on a bottom-up approach according to the identified needs. This approach facilitates the process of implementing action plans, save costs and increase efficiency.
During the interactive workshop, each participant shared their opinion on the 2nd JST, and we also discussed the current energy efficiency situation in the partner countries. We found that all the partners countries are facing the worldwide energy market changes with the price increasing. Winter is coming, and it is the most vulnerable time of the years for vulnerable social groups. We learned that there are ways to help the society but as in many other cases, the problem must be eradicated from its source, from the bottom up. Our goal is to continue to work on the field of energy poverty and try to help improve the overall situation at least in the region we live and wider if/when possible.
