EnerFair Making community energy socially inclusive: Participation for low-income households

Citizen energy communities are considered a promising organizational model for the energy transition, as they combine local value creation with democratic participation and civic engagement. Nevertheless, certain population groups as socioeconomically disadvantaged households are not sufficiently reached and are often excluded from decision-making processes. The goal of the project EnerFair is to expand the reach and social integration of citizen energy communities by opening up their structures and outreach formats to new target groups. The focus is on low-income households, which have so far been barely involved in the collective generation, use, and management of energy. 

In this context, the project aims to achieve two main objectives: First, it seeks to systematically identify which models of social participation have proven effective in practice and under what conditions they can be considered transferable without jeopardizing the economic stability of the energy communities. Second, the project aims to develop practical, target-group-specific communication strategies that enable effective outreach to low-income households.

The findings will be incorporated into a practical guide designed to support citizen energy communities nationwide in developing and implementing inclusive approaches. In addition, a concluding transfer workshop will disseminate the developed content to relevant multipliers, particularly from energy cooperatives, social organizations, and municipal institutions. 

The project is funded as part of the DATIpilot CommunitE-Innovation.