Energy poverty is a term that, at the time of energy transition, inflation and reduction of the economic power of households, we hear more and more often. In the Tuzla Canton, the Center for Ecology and Energy, with the help of Caritas from Switzerland and local authorities, is trying to define instruments that would help energy-poor households to alleviate this problem.
An energy-poor household in Europe is one that spends more than 10% of its household budget on electricity and heat. If we apply the same criteria to Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 70% of households fall into that category.
“However, if it is some 30-40%, then that household cannot provide itself with living conditions, and there are more than 10% of them,” said Džemila Agić, director of the Center for Ecology and Energy.
According to the Center for Ecology and Energy, it is necessary to approach the problem systematically, and therefore they encouraged some of the municipalities and cities from the area of Tuzla Canton to define strategies and action plans. They have already brought such a document in Kalesija.
“Certain steps that will be taken in the coming period are to allocate the funds provided by the Municipality’s strategy to help those households,” says Muhamed Majdančić, director of the Kalesija Center for Social Work.
For others, the Strategy, on the other hand, is just an upgrade of previous activities.
“There are concrete measures related to the co-financing of electricity costs for citizens in the winter and the co-financing of heating costs,” Senad Smajlović, adviser to the mayor of Gračanica, points out.
In Tuzla, on the other hand, before the adoption of the Strategy, the most attention was paid to energy efficiency.
“In support of the connection to the central heating system, in the co-financing of the procurement of heat pumps, pellet stoves, heating of buildings”, says Zijad Lugavić, mayor of Tuzla (SDP).
Support in efforts to reduce energy poverty of local communities in Tuzla Canton is provided by the international project “EE Phase 3”.
“Our broader vision is to push these strategies to the entity level and to copy them to other cantons,” says Daniel Bronkal, director of Swiss Caritas.
This year, the EU secured 500 million euros as part of the energy support package for partners from the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federalna reports.
