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Energy poverty, Vienna Secretariat: Adopt definition and set reduction targets

Energy poverty, Vienna Secretariat: Adopt definition and set reduction targets

Despite several measures taken, both short-term and long-term, regarding energy poverty, Albania still does not have an approved definition for this aspect.

The Secretariat of the Energy Community in Vienna in the report "Addressing energy poverty in the countries of the Energy Community", which includes Albania, gives some recommendations that should be taken into account to bring about positive changes.

But what actually is energy poverty? By definition this is the condition of a family that knows it must reduce its energy consumption to such a degree that it negatively affects the health and well-being of its members.

In Albania, several measures have been taken that aim to alleviate this poverty, starting from the compensation given for energy for some needy strata, dominated by pensioners, to those short-term measures such as the one for subsidizing water heating plants for families applied only once so far.

Despite these measures, it seems that Albania, like many other countries in the region, does not have a clear plan for identifying the real situation of energy poverty and adopting concrete objectives for its reduction. This has led the Secretariat to make several recommendations in the latest report.

Thus, it is first proposed to develop a methodology to estimate the number of households in energy poverty as required by the Government Regulation.

Second, setting a national indicative target for reducing energy poverty, including a time frame.

Thirdly, the adoption of a definition for energy poverty is recommended.

"Include a detailed timeline, estimated budget and funding sources for policies and measures. Provide special support to households in energy poverty in relevant policies and measures for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources to address the root causes of energy poverty.

Align the objectives and measures of the National Energy and Climate Plans for energy poverty with the Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP) and the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) and vice versa," the Secretariat's other recommendations state.

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