[Replay] When Information Is the Infrastructure: Rethinking Energy Poverty from the Ground Up - Marta Garcia Paris | Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Description

Energy poverty didn't exist as a concept in Spain when Marta García París first encountered it. Today, Ecoserveis runs one of the most cited local intervention models in Europe — built not on technical expertise alone, but on the conviction that citizens are the experts, and institutions exist to translate that expertise into action.

This episode, originally released in 2021, marks the beginning of Energ'Ethic. We're replaying it at episode 100 because the questions it raises have only sharpened: who gets to access the energy transition, on what terms, and through whose knowledge?

What this episode covers:

How Ecoserveis came to define energy poverty in a Mediterranean context where the concept had no name — and what that process reveals about the limits of Northern European policy frameworks when applied elsewhere
The Barcelona energy advice points: a public service model that pairs technical energy guidance with peer support from people who have themselves experienced vulnerability
Why information access — not technology — remains the central barrier to an inclusive energy transition, and how targeted advice can unblock situations that financial support alone cannot
The compounding effect of COVID-19 on energy vulnerability, particularly for households that shifted from workplace to home without the financial or physical infrastructure to absorb that change
How European project networks enabled Ecoserveis to import, test, and ultimately export intervention models — including a peer-to-peer training approach now being scaled through the SWEET project

Marine Cornelis is the founder of Next Energy Consumer, a policy consultancy working on energy poverty, consumer rights, and housing at EU level. If you are working on a related mandate or research question, you can reach her at contact@nextenergyconsumer.eu

Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.

Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox

Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedIn
Music: I Need You Here - Kamarius
Edition: Podcast Media Factory

Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Hello Passionate about sustainability, energy and climate? You're in the right place. Welcome to Energetic. I'm Marine Cornelis and together we will engage with people who dedicate their lives to climate justice and making a just energy transition happen. They may be activists,
Speaker #1
scientists, policy makers or other enthusiasts just like you. Let their life stories and insights inspire you to build a better future for people and the planet.
Speaker #0
Welcome to the first episode of Energetic. Today, my guest is Marta Garcia-Parez. Marta is the CEO of Ecoservice, the organization that has undoubtedly transformed the way in which energy poverty is addressed in Barcelona and in Europe. Since 2007, she has been managing projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national, and urban levels. Hi, Marta.
Speaker #1
Hi. Thanks for inviting.
Speaker #0
My pleasure. It's an honor to have you here. So, Marta, I already aroused the attention of the people who are listening to us. So can you tell us what EcoService is and what your activities are?
Speaker #1
We are a non-profit association and we work as a strategic innovation consultancy in topics related to energy, climate, transport. for mobility. I mean, our aim is to identify the energy challenges affecting people and to propose solutions. This is the mission of the organization. And then this means that we need to adapt and react fast as the challenges change every year or every period.
Speaker #0
So I'm curious, what are the challenges that you are facing right now and that you hadn't planned on the way?
Speaker #1
Yeah, Ecosurvey started in 1992. Facing one of the biggest challenges at that time, that was that renewable energies existed at that time, but there were a lot of barriers when trying to implement renewable energies at a larger scale. So there are, for example, legal barriers or cultural barriers or social barriers, financial barriers. So this is how we started in EcoSurface. Now the challenges, some of them are similar because there are still many, many challenges when trying to make renewable energies. mainstream, I mean, to be that everyone can have access to renewable energies at home or energy efficiency. But one of the major challenges we're facing now is the relation between, I mean, the vulnerabilities related to energy or to climate change adaptation or to energy transition. So these are like the three focus that we have now.
Speaker #0
How does that translate in practice?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, we can hear many voices talking about ensuring a just energy transition. But the reality is that what we can see within citizens is that citizens cannot access the information to reach this energy transition, not all the citizens. So all those who can access the information can benefit from this energy transition. The access to finance is not the same to everyone. So, for example, if you want to install photovoltaic installation in your house, for example, you need also some financing mechanism. And not everyone has access to that. And so this is not a real energy transition for everyone. So, yeah, in practical, we try to mobilize different stakeholders in order to ensure that everyone can access this transition.
Speaker #0
And in particular, you are managing the energy information points in Barcelona. Am I right?
Speaker #1
Yeah, the energy advice points in Barcelona, it's a public service run by the local municipality, by Ayuntament de Barcelona. They have like 10 offices in the whole city to give advice on energy topics and with the ultimate objective of identifying energy poverty in the city. This public service is coordinated by eco-surveys and by a social organisation. So we have made tandem with a social organisation called ABD. So we can give a complete service, which means giving technical advice, but also reaching those in vulnerability. And one of the interesting things of this service is that apart from the technical, I mean, our phone... for the advice that we give to the Barcelona society in general. I mean, people working in this energy advice point are people. that suffered energy poverty sometimes. So people not maybe now, but with a past situation of vulnerability. So we tested the model of the peer-to-peer advice.
Speaker #0
And how did you manage to engage them? And how did you identify those people in the first place? Because maybe our listeners are not so familiar with the concept of energy poverty. So could you expand a bit on this?
Speaker #1
You mean, for example, in the... in the energy advice point in barcelona right yes yeah um these are physical offices of course now with the covid situation we we've turned to yeah to virtual sometimes and we are we are coming back to face to face again but in a normal situation i mean we have offices in every district in the city and the offices are placed in municipal premises like the public for example uh the local authority building, for example, or I mean, a public building, for example, where people can enter and receive the advice. So it is quite an open service to everyone. You can access if you want. Furthermore, I mean, we are in touch with different services in the city, for example, with social services or with social organizations or charities dealing with vulnerable people too. So they send the files of these people too. So we advise them.
Speaker #0
Okay, and what kind of vulnerability or problems are they facing that make you think that they should be helped in a greater way or that they need particular support? And how do you help them also to cope with the climate transition or the just transition that you talked about at the beginning of our conversation? How do you engage them?
Speaker #1
I mean, the objective of the service in the case of Barcelona, It's to give advice, I mean, to try to solve a punctual situation because they have entered the service. But of course, the idea is to empower them and to give them information. What we have realized is that people need more information in order to improve their relation to energy, for example. So only by giving some energy advice or energy bill information, we see a huge impact in there. in the relation to energy.
Speaker #0
And how did you come to realize this? What was the, in your personal career, in your building projects, how did you learn this process of how did you manage to engage first? What is your personal motivation behind all this?
Speaker #1
I mean, I think there is not a magic formula and we need to adapt with every citizen and with every situation because all... Each situation has peculiarities and differences, but the main thing is that just by giving information, just by providing information, you can unblock certain situations. So, for example, if you have your energy supply or your electricity supply with X company, only by giving information on tariffs and existing protection measures, for example, You can unblock an unpaid situation or an unpaid bill or an energy cut. I mean, there are specific points on the energy bill or on the energy use at home. But each person has its problems related to energy.
Speaker #0
Have you seen the situation evolve since the year now that we are facing the COVID lockdowns? What has been your view, your takes on it? the situation or on the evolution of the situation?
Speaker #1
I mean, I have no, I mean, I don't have statistical data to prove that, but from our experience here in Barcelona and in other services, just with the COVID period, we have more situation of energy vulnerability just because people spend more time at home. And this means the whole summer last year. and now the winter. So if last year you were at your workplace or at any other place, not at your home during the daytime, now you are at home working at home. So you need more heating systems, more cooling systems in winter and your energy expenditure grows. And if you have had a difficult personal situation during COVID, With less work or less payment in terms of financial status of your income, more situations of energy vulnerability have arisen.
Speaker #0
Okay. And I also mentioned that you have been managing different projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national and European levels. Can you tell us a bit more about the European projects that you are involved in and how this has fed your understanding on how to advocate better for the vulnerable people? How it's changing with other European counterparts? helped you along the way?
Speaker #1
We've been working since the beginning with European projects. So for us, this is our, this is part, I mean, this is where we learn. We don't invent or reinvent the wheel. We only, I mean, open the window and see what other countries in Europe are doing or are saying or are identifying us as challenges. For example, that happens, I mean, there is a very I can explain the experience with energy poverty, for example, in 2006, some European colleagues from UK and France invited us to a European Intelligent Energy Europe proposal on energy poverty. And when we received it, I remember saying, we don't have energy poverty in the Mediterranean. I mean, we have a very temperate climate. This is not a southern problem. And I remember that colleague saying, OK, but try to look some statistics or some national data. And then When I started looking at national data and I realized that Spain and Portugal, I mean, had the more excess winter mortality rates. I said, OK, we have a problem here. And I remember another figure that was that 9% of the Spanish population couldn't maintain or couldn't keep the temperature at home in winter. And I thought, OK, maybe we have the problem. So. I remember typing energy poverty in Google in Spanish and it didn't appear as a wording, so it didn't exist. So, yeah, this is how we started working on energy poverty. So, yeah, I mean, learning from European projects and from other countries in Europe has been essential to eco-surveys and to our contribution to the collective actions in energy transition. Barcelona, in Catalonia and in Spain in general.
Speaker #0
That is absolutely fascinating because you can really see how your project got nurtured and how experience from other people can really change your own experience and your situation on the ground. So that's absolutely fascinating. And what other things did you learn on the way? I'm really curious about all those experiences with European counterparts and how you translated that into the Barcelona or Catalonia or Spanish context.
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, following with the example of energy poverty, I remember this first European project. It was called EPEE and was the very first European energy project on energy poverty. And the aim of this project was to work on the definition and on the legal recognition of the concept in Europe. So we work on that. But at the same time, we were learning how were the other countries acting within this problem. For example, I remember learning from France, training their social operators on energy issues. So we thought, OK, we are working now on identifying and setting, I mean, and giving visualization of energy poverty in Spain and giving and trying to. to get recognition for the problem, but we need to work with multipliers in order to eradicate the problem. So we started training social workers here in Spain because we learned that from the French experience.
Speaker #0
Okay. And now is France looking at you and do you think that they are also learning from you? How does that... cooperation continues?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, in another European project it was called ASIST. And after, I mean, if we started in 2006 and ASIST ended last year, so 2020, a lot, I mean, we've been doing a lot on energy poverty and training also. And for us, what we wanted to see from or to test from this pilot was if training people with emotional bond with vulnerable consumers was more useful in terms of the efficiency of an energy intervention, for example, and it wasn't tested before in Europe. So we tested here in... in Barcelona, and it was a success. And now, I mean, we have other countries trying to scale this model. And, for example, we are in another project now called SWEET from the European Social Catalyst Fund, where we are going to scale, to make the European scalability plan of this intervention model.
Speaker #0
Wow, that's really, that's so interesting. And I wish you the very best for this project, because I... Having been to Barcelona and having met with the social workers that have been trained, I think that they are doing an amazing job in engaging with people who are not even aware that they can get some benefits and that they can get a particular help for the situations that they are living in. So I think it will be amazing to have the replicability of this project. in other cities in Europe and in the rest of the world. So how would you like things to go in which direction? And what's the biggest area where you're curious about? And where would you like to expand in the future?
Speaker #1
Yeah, in EcoSurveys now we are working with, I would say, for approaching channels to citizens, for example. We have the vulnerability issue, I mean, the inequalities. and here we are working at different projects on energy poverty, but also mobility inequalities or related to adaptation. I mean, or, for example, the effects of the climate change on vulnerable people, because we think we need to work on the adaptation of these people because they need specific support, because we will have, I mean, heat waves, for example, in Europe, that will be a reality. And we need to protect those on vulnerability. So we have this... where we have projects and initiatives going on. We have also the energy transition and the global change focus too, because we want to ensure an energy transition and to ensure that citizens have access to the information. So here we are working on different projects, on one-stop shops and energy transition offices in different regions. We have also projects trying to engage YALF, But Not articulating the movement, and this is a thing that the youth movements are already doing, but trying to link these movements with the real policy. So here we are working on some projects, trying to work on these links. And also we are exploring and working on different projects also on sports, because we think that through sports we can give the message of sustainability and energy transition too.
Speaker #0
That's so interesting, this focus on youth and sports. It's absolutely, it's very original. How did you come up with this idea?
Speaker #1
I mean, also looking what citizens are doing in their real lives. I mean, we were watching the Fighters for Future movement, for example, and their previous movements. And also with sports, I mean, talking to citizens and seeing that if we... could articulate some projects related in these areas, we could increase the effectivity of these areas.
Speaker #0
So what I really like about your approach is that you take this kind of observation, then bottom up empowerment. You don't want too much. I mean, my understanding is that you don't want to disturb people, but you just want to nudge them into the energy and climate transition, into overcoming vulnerability, etc. So instead of trying to spread the word from a top-down approach, you try to engage with them on a daily basis. And that's very, very interesting and very inspiring because we see so many projects that don't really take off because they are too kind of vertical and people don't feel that it's about them. They feel quite disengaged. So what can you tell us about this way of... approaching the kind of innovation, social innovation through the bottom-up? I mean,
Speaker #1
this is our reason of existing. I mean, we came, I mean, previous to EcoSurveys, the founders of EcoSurveys were part of Energy Cooperative and things were, I mean, we're doing like the top on the other way around. So the idea or the objective why EcoSurveys exists is because we need the bottom-up approach. I mean, the problem... It's not the technology in terms of renewable energy. There are other problems. So society is facing challenges. So we need to feed from these challenges. So for us in the conservation, citizens are the experts. And we are only translating this expertise into challenges and initiatives and trying to solve them. So for us, this is the basis.
Speaker #0
And you already have quite a good experience with vulnerable people who are now training or informing other people about their energy rights, etc. So how will you do that with the sports and young people? What is your plan?
Speaker #1
We are already engaging in different projects. We are coordinating three projects on sports, three Erasmus on sports, Play Green, Green Coach and Striker. And yeah, we coordinate European projects and we work with, for example, football federations. So we look for the key stakeholders in the topic to work from there in the case of sport. And in the case of YALF, the same. We are also coordinating projects in this area and we work with specific stakeholders related to YALF.
Speaker #0
And this project with the sports, where can we find more information about it? swear Yeah,
Speaker #1
we have three projects on sports. You can check all the information on the website. One is called Play Green. The other one is called Green Coach. And the third one is called Striker. And three of these projects are Erasmus sports.
Speaker #0
Yeah, and they have different... Yeah,
Speaker #1
but they're related to sustainability in general. Okay.
Speaker #0
And for the project with young people... Yeah, the same.
Speaker #1
We are coordinating two projects to Erasmus. One is called Ice. and the other one is called Climate Tubers. So we will work on, this has just started, and we will work with participatory videos with YALF people. So these are the two, but at national and local level, we have also projects with these approaches, as well as with the energy transition and the vulnerabilities of inequalities. I mean, we try to work at different levels in order to feed and to enrich. the local initiatives but of course we need the european approach to to learn absolutely absolutely and so what are your your expectations for you for the future expectations you mean our challenges for example i mean where we want to focus we are really trying to yeah to work on the on ensuring the just energy transition with with all its implications i mean ensuring that vulnerable people or people in a situation of vulnerability can access the energy transition, but also to ensure that citizens play a central role, not only in a wording term, but in real terms. We want citizens to play a role in the energy transition.
Speaker #0
Yeah, as you said, they are the experts and we just have to listen to them.
Speaker #1
Yeah, this is, I mean, this is how we work. I mean, this is how we identify the real challenges. And yeah, we just try to... to propose solutions. Sometimes they don't work at all and sometimes they are a success. It's not always an easy path.
Speaker #0
And if you had one message to send to our listeners, what would that be? Like some hopes or some expectations or something that we can be excited about for you? What would that be?
Speaker #1
If we, I mean, if I'm thinking now some, that some professionals are on the other side of the... of the headphones now, it's like we need to listen to people. I mean, they will tell us what to do or how to act and how to work to ensure this energy transition.
Speaker #2
Okay. Thank you so much, Marta. It was super interesting.
Speaker #1
And thank you, Marine, for contacting me. It's a pleasure.
Speaker #0
Thanks for listening to Energetic. I hope you enjoyed our deep dive into sustainability and the just energy transition. with the most inspiring stakeholders. All links and resources are in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe. And if you like this podcast, why not recommend it to a friend or a colleague? To continue the conversation, head on over to Twitter or LinkedIn. Thank you for lending your ears. That's all for this episode. Until next time.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

Energ'Ethic is a podcast about those questions. Hosted by Marine Cornelis — founder of Next Energy Consumer and a leading voice on energy poverty, consumer rights, and the social conditions of the energy transition — each episode brings together the people who are closest to where policy meets reality: regulators navigating enforcement gaps, researchers with evidence that hasn't reached the policy room yet, practitioners managing the friction between EU ambition and local capacity.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Energ'Ethic is listened to by policymakers, legal and regulatory professionals, NGO and civil society leaders, and researchers working at the intersection of energy, housing, consumers, and governance. It is not a generalist show about the energy transition. It is a specialist conversation for people who are already inside the problem.

For organisations and sponsors: Energ'Ethic offers partnership opportunities for organisations seeking to reach a senior, policy-literate audience. Partnerships are selective and editorially independent. Contact: contact@nextenergyconsumer.eu

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

What this episode covers:

How Ecoserveis came to define energy poverty in a Mediterranean context where the concept had no name — and what that process reveals about the limits of Northern European policy frameworks when applied elsewhere
The Barcelona energy advice points: a public service model that pairs technical energy guidance with peer support from people who have themselves experienced vulnerability
Why information access — not technology — remains the central barrier to an inclusive energy transition, and how targeted advice can unblock situations that financial support alone cannot
The compounding effect of COVID-19 on energy vulnerability, particularly for households that shifted from workplace to home without the financial or physical infrastructure to absorb that change
How European project networks enabled Ecoserveis to import, test, and ultimately export intervention models — including a peer-to-peer training approach now being scaled through the SWEET project

Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.

Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox

Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedIn
Music: I Need You Here - Kamarius
Edition: Podcast Media Factory

Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Hello Passionate about sustainability, energy and climate? You're in the right place. Welcome to Energetic. I'm Marine Cornelis and together we will engage with people who dedicate their lives to climate justice and making a just energy transition happen. They may be activists,
Speaker #1
scientists, policy makers or other enthusiasts just like you. Let their life stories and insights inspire you to build a better future for people and the planet.
Speaker #0
Welcome to the first episode of Energetic. Today, my guest is Marta Garcia-Parez. Marta is the CEO of Ecoservice, the organization that has undoubtedly transformed the way in which energy poverty is addressed in Barcelona and in Europe. Since 2007, she has been managing projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national, and urban levels. Hi, Marta.
Speaker #1
Hi. Thanks for inviting.
Speaker #0
My pleasure. It's an honor to have you here. So, Marta, I already aroused the attention of the people who are listening to us. So can you tell us what EcoService is and what your activities are?
Speaker #1
We are a non-profit association and we work as a strategic innovation consultancy in topics related to energy, climate, transport. for mobility. I mean, our aim is to identify the energy challenges affecting people and to propose solutions. This is the mission of the organization. And then this means that we need to adapt and react fast as the challenges change every year or every period.
Speaker #0
So I'm curious, what are the challenges that you are facing right now and that you hadn't planned on the way?
Speaker #1
Yeah, Ecosurvey started in 1992. Facing one of the biggest challenges at that time, that was that renewable energies existed at that time, but there were a lot of barriers when trying to implement renewable energies at a larger scale. So there are, for example, legal barriers or cultural barriers or social barriers, financial barriers. So this is how we started in EcoSurface. Now the challenges, some of them are similar because there are still many, many challenges when trying to make renewable energies. mainstream, I mean, to be that everyone can have access to renewable energies at home or energy efficiency. But one of the major challenges we're facing now is the relation between, I mean, the vulnerabilities related to energy or to climate change adaptation or to energy transition. So these are like the three focus that we have now.
Speaker #0
How does that translate in practice?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, we can hear many voices talking about ensuring a just energy transition. But the reality is that what we can see within citizens is that citizens cannot access the information to reach this energy transition, not all the citizens. So all those who can access the information can benefit from this energy transition. The access to finance is not the same to everyone. So, for example, if you want to install photovoltaic installation in your house, for example, you need also some financing mechanism. And not everyone has access to that. And so this is not a real energy transition for everyone. So, yeah, in practical, we try to mobilize different stakeholders in order to ensure that everyone can access this transition.
Speaker #0
And in particular, you are managing the energy information points in Barcelona. Am I right?
Speaker #1
Yeah, the energy advice points in Barcelona, it's a public service run by the local municipality, by Ayuntament de Barcelona. They have like 10 offices in the whole city to give advice on energy topics and with the ultimate objective of identifying energy poverty in the city. This public service is coordinated by eco-surveys and by a social organisation. So we have made tandem with a social organisation called ABD. So we can give a complete service, which means giving technical advice, but also reaching those in vulnerability. And one of the interesting things of this service is that apart from the technical, I mean, our phone... for the advice that we give to the Barcelona society in general. I mean, people working in this energy advice point are people. that suffered energy poverty sometimes. So people not maybe now, but with a past situation of vulnerability. So we tested the model of the peer-to-peer advice.
Speaker #0
And how did you manage to engage them? And how did you identify those people in the first place? Because maybe our listeners are not so familiar with the concept of energy poverty. So could you expand a bit on this?
Speaker #1
You mean, for example, in the... in the energy advice point in barcelona right yes yeah um these are physical offices of course now with the covid situation we we've turned to yeah to virtual sometimes and we are we are coming back to face to face again but in a normal situation i mean we have offices in every district in the city and the offices are placed in municipal premises like the public for example uh the local authority building, for example, or I mean, a public building, for example, where people can enter and receive the advice. So it is quite an open service to everyone. You can access if you want. Furthermore, I mean, we are in touch with different services in the city, for example, with social services or with social organizations or charities dealing with vulnerable people too. So they send the files of these people too. So we advise them.
Speaker #0
Okay, and what kind of vulnerability or problems are they facing that make you think that they should be helped in a greater way or that they need particular support? And how do you help them also to cope with the climate transition or the just transition that you talked about at the beginning of our conversation? How do you engage them?
Speaker #1
I mean, the objective of the service in the case of Barcelona, It's to give advice, I mean, to try to solve a punctual situation because they have entered the service. But of course, the idea is to empower them and to give them information. What we have realized is that people need more information in order to improve their relation to energy, for example. So only by giving some energy advice or energy bill information, we see a huge impact in there. in the relation to energy.
Speaker #0
And how did you come to realize this? What was the, in your personal career, in your building projects, how did you learn this process of how did you manage to engage first? What is your personal motivation behind all this?
Speaker #1
I mean, I think there is not a magic formula and we need to adapt with every citizen and with every situation because all... Each situation has peculiarities and differences, but the main thing is that just by giving information, just by providing information, you can unblock certain situations. So, for example, if you have your energy supply or your electricity supply with X company, only by giving information on tariffs and existing protection measures, for example, You can unblock an unpaid situation or an unpaid bill or an energy cut. I mean, there are specific points on the energy bill or on the energy use at home. But each person has its problems related to energy.
Speaker #0
Have you seen the situation evolve since the year now that we are facing the COVID lockdowns? What has been your view, your takes on it? the situation or on the evolution of the situation?
Speaker #1
I mean, I have no, I mean, I don't have statistical data to prove that, but from our experience here in Barcelona and in other services, just with the COVID period, we have more situation of energy vulnerability just because people spend more time at home. And this means the whole summer last year. and now the winter. So if last year you were at your workplace or at any other place, not at your home during the daytime, now you are at home working at home. So you need more heating systems, more cooling systems in winter and your energy expenditure grows. And if you have had a difficult personal situation during COVID, With less work or less payment in terms of financial status of your income, more situations of energy vulnerability have arisen.
Speaker #0
Okay. And I also mentioned that you have been managing different projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national and European levels. Can you tell us a bit more about the European projects that you are involved in and how this has fed your understanding on how to advocate better for the vulnerable people? How it's changing with other European counterparts? helped you along the way?
Speaker #1
We've been working since the beginning with European projects. So for us, this is our, this is part, I mean, this is where we learn. We don't invent or reinvent the wheel. We only, I mean, open the window and see what other countries in Europe are doing or are saying or are identifying us as challenges. For example, that happens, I mean, there is a very I can explain the experience with energy poverty, for example, in 2006, some European colleagues from UK and France invited us to a European Intelligent Energy Europe proposal on energy poverty. And when we received it, I remember saying, we don't have energy poverty in the Mediterranean. I mean, we have a very temperate climate. This is not a southern problem. And I remember that colleague saying, OK, but try to look some statistics or some national data. And then When I started looking at national data and I realized that Spain and Portugal, I mean, had the more excess winter mortality rates. I said, OK, we have a problem here. And I remember another figure that was that 9% of the Spanish population couldn't maintain or couldn't keep the temperature at home in winter. And I thought, OK, maybe we have the problem. So. I remember typing energy poverty in Google in Spanish and it didn't appear as a wording, so it didn't exist. So, yeah, this is how we started working on energy poverty. So, yeah, I mean, learning from European projects and from other countries in Europe has been essential to eco-surveys and to our contribution to the collective actions in energy transition. Barcelona, in Catalonia and in Spain in general.
Speaker #0
That is absolutely fascinating because you can really see how your project got nurtured and how experience from other people can really change your own experience and your situation on the ground. So that's absolutely fascinating. And what other things did you learn on the way? I'm really curious about all those experiences with European counterparts and how you translated that into the Barcelona or Catalonia or Spanish context.
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, following with the example of energy poverty, I remember this first European project. It was called EPEE and was the very first European energy project on energy poverty. And the aim of this project was to work on the definition and on the legal recognition of the concept in Europe. So we work on that. But at the same time, we were learning how were the other countries acting within this problem. For example, I remember learning from France, training their social operators on energy issues. So we thought, OK, we are working now on identifying and setting, I mean, and giving visualization of energy poverty in Spain and giving and trying to. to get recognition for the problem, but we need to work with multipliers in order to eradicate the problem. So we started training social workers here in Spain because we learned that from the French experience.
Speaker #0
Okay. And now is France looking at you and do you think that they are also learning from you? How does that... cooperation continues?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, in another European project it was called ASIST. And after, I mean, if we started in 2006 and ASIST ended last year, so 2020, a lot, I mean, we've been doing a lot on energy poverty and training also. And for us, what we wanted to see from or to test from this pilot was if training people with emotional bond with vulnerable consumers was more useful in terms of the efficiency of an energy intervention, for example, and it wasn't tested before in Europe. So we tested here in... in Barcelona, and it was a success. And now, I mean, we have other countries trying to scale this model. And, for example, we are in another project now called SWEET from the European Social Catalyst Fund, where we are going to scale, to make the European scalability plan of this intervention model.
Speaker #0
Wow, that's really, that's so interesting. And I wish you the very best for this project, because I... Having been to Barcelona and having met with the social workers that have been trained, I think that they are doing an amazing job in engaging with people who are not even aware that they can get some benefits and that they can get a particular help for the situations that they are living in. So I think it will be amazing to have the replicability of this project. in other cities in Europe and in the rest of the world. So how would you like things to go in which direction? And what's the biggest area where you're curious about? And where would you like to expand in the future?
Speaker #1
Yeah, in EcoSurveys now we are working with, I would say, for approaching channels to citizens, for example. We have the vulnerability issue, I mean, the inequalities. and here we are working at different projects on energy poverty, but also mobility inequalities or related to adaptation. I mean, or, for example, the effects of the climate change on vulnerable people, because we think we need to work on the adaptation of these people because they need specific support, because we will have, I mean, heat waves, for example, in Europe, that will be a reality. And we need to protect those on vulnerability. So we have this... where we have projects and initiatives going on. We have also the energy transition and the global change focus too, because we want to ensure an energy transition and to ensure that citizens have access to the information. So here we are working on different projects, on one-stop shops and energy transition offices in different regions. We have also projects trying to engage YALF, But Not articulating the movement, and this is a thing that the youth movements are already doing, but trying to link these movements with the real policy. So here we are working on some projects, trying to work on these links. And also we are exploring and working on different projects also on sports, because we think that through sports we can give the message of sustainability and energy transition too.
Speaker #0
That's so interesting, this focus on youth and sports. It's absolutely, it's very original. How did you come up with this idea?
Speaker #1
I mean, also looking what citizens are doing in their real lives. I mean, we were watching the Fighters for Future movement, for example, and their previous movements. And also with sports, I mean, talking to citizens and seeing that if we... could articulate some projects related in these areas, we could increase the effectivity of these areas.
Speaker #0
So what I really like about your approach is that you take this kind of observation, then bottom up empowerment. You don't want too much. I mean, my understanding is that you don't want to disturb people, but you just want to nudge them into the energy and climate transition, into overcoming vulnerability, etc. So instead of trying to spread the word from a top-down approach, you try to engage with them on a daily basis. And that's very, very interesting and very inspiring because we see so many projects that don't really take off because they are too kind of vertical and people don't feel that it's about them. They feel quite disengaged. So what can you tell us about this way of... approaching the kind of innovation, social innovation through the bottom-up? I mean,
Speaker #1
this is our reason of existing. I mean, we came, I mean, previous to EcoSurveys, the founders of EcoSurveys were part of Energy Cooperative and things were, I mean, we're doing like the top on the other way around. So the idea or the objective why EcoSurveys exists is because we need the bottom-up approach. I mean, the problem... It's not the technology in terms of renewable energy. There are other problems. So society is facing challenges. So we need to feed from these challenges. So for us in the conservation, citizens are the experts. And we are only translating this expertise into challenges and initiatives and trying to solve them. So for us, this is the basis.
Speaker #0
And you already have quite a good experience with vulnerable people who are now training or informing other people about their energy rights, etc. So how will you do that with the sports and young people? What is your plan?
Speaker #1
We are already engaging in different projects. We are coordinating three projects on sports, three Erasmus on sports, Play Green, Green Coach and Striker. And yeah, we coordinate European projects and we work with, for example, football federations. So we look for the key stakeholders in the topic to work from there in the case of sport. And in the case of YALF, the same. We are also coordinating projects in this area and we work with specific stakeholders related to YALF.
Speaker #0
And this project with the sports, where can we find more information about it? swear Yeah,
Speaker #1
we have three projects on sports. You can check all the information on the website. One is called Play Green. The other one is called Green Coach. And the third one is called Striker. And three of these projects are Erasmus sports.
Speaker #0
Yeah, and they have different... Yeah,
Speaker #1
but they're related to sustainability in general. Okay.
Speaker #0
And for the project with young people... Yeah, the same.
Speaker #1
We are coordinating two projects to Erasmus. One is called Ice. and the other one is called Climate Tubers. So we will work on, this has just started, and we will work with participatory videos with YALF people. So these are the two, but at national and local level, we have also projects with these approaches, as well as with the energy transition and the vulnerabilities of inequalities. I mean, we try to work at different levels in order to feed and to enrich. the local initiatives but of course we need the european approach to to learn absolutely absolutely and so what are your your expectations for you for the future expectations you mean our challenges for example i mean where we want to focus we are really trying to yeah to work on the on ensuring the just energy transition with with all its implications i mean ensuring that vulnerable people or people in a situation of vulnerability can access the energy transition, but also to ensure that citizens play a central role, not only in a wording term, but in real terms. We want citizens to play a role in the energy transition.
Speaker #0
Yeah, as you said, they are the experts and we just have to listen to them.
Speaker #1
Yeah, this is, I mean, this is how we work. I mean, this is how we identify the real challenges. And yeah, we just try to... to propose solutions. Sometimes they don't work at all and sometimes they are a success. It's not always an easy path.
Speaker #0
And if you had one message to send to our listeners, what would that be? Like some hopes or some expectations or something that we can be excited about for you? What would that be?
Speaker #1
If we, I mean, if I'm thinking now some, that some professionals are on the other side of the... of the headphones now, it's like we need to listen to people. I mean, they will tell us what to do or how to act and how to work to ensure this energy transition.
Speaker #2
Okay. Thank you so much, Marta. It was super interesting.
Speaker #1
And thank you, Marine, for contacting me. It's a pleasure.
Speaker #0
Thanks for listening to Energetic. I hope you enjoyed our deep dive into sustainability and the just energy transition. with the most inspiring stakeholders. All links and resources are in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe. And if you like this podcast, why not recommend it to a friend or a colleague? To continue the conversation, head on over to Twitter or LinkedIn. Thank you for lending your ears. That's all for this episode. Until next time.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Embed

You may also like

Description

What this episode covers:

How Ecoserveis came to define energy poverty in a Mediterranean context where the concept had no name — and what that process reveals about the limits of Northern European policy frameworks when applied elsewhere
The Barcelona energy advice points: a public service model that pairs technical energy guidance with peer support from people who have themselves experienced vulnerability
Why information access — not technology — remains the central barrier to an inclusive energy transition, and how targeted advice can unblock situations that financial support alone cannot
The compounding effect of COVID-19 on energy vulnerability, particularly for households that shifted from workplace to home without the financial or physical infrastructure to absorb that change
How European project networks enabled Ecoserveis to import, test, and ultimately export intervention models — including a peer-to-peer training approach now being scaled through the SWEET project

Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.

Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox

Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedIn
Music: I Need You Here - Kamarius
Edition: Podcast Media Factory

Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Hello Passionate about sustainability, energy and climate? You're in the right place. Welcome to Energetic. I'm Marine Cornelis and together we will engage with people who dedicate their lives to climate justice and making a just energy transition happen. They may be activists,
Speaker #1
scientists, policy makers or other enthusiasts just like you. Let their life stories and insights inspire you to build a better future for people and the planet.
Speaker #0
Welcome to the first episode of Energetic. Today, my guest is Marta Garcia-Parez. Marta is the CEO of Ecoservice, the organization that has undoubtedly transformed the way in which energy poverty is addressed in Barcelona and in Europe. Since 2007, she has been managing projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national, and urban levels. Hi, Marta.
Speaker #1
Hi. Thanks for inviting.
Speaker #0
My pleasure. It's an honor to have you here. So, Marta, I already aroused the attention of the people who are listening to us. So can you tell us what EcoService is and what your activities are?
Speaker #1
We are a non-profit association and we work as a strategic innovation consultancy in topics related to energy, climate, transport. for mobility. I mean, our aim is to identify the energy challenges affecting people and to propose solutions. This is the mission of the organization. And then this means that we need to adapt and react fast as the challenges change every year or every period.
Speaker #0
So I'm curious, what are the challenges that you are facing right now and that you hadn't planned on the way?
Speaker #1
Yeah, Ecosurvey started in 1992. Facing one of the biggest challenges at that time, that was that renewable energies existed at that time, but there were a lot of barriers when trying to implement renewable energies at a larger scale. So there are, for example, legal barriers or cultural barriers or social barriers, financial barriers. So this is how we started in EcoSurface. Now the challenges, some of them are similar because there are still many, many challenges when trying to make renewable energies. mainstream, I mean, to be that everyone can have access to renewable energies at home or energy efficiency. But one of the major challenges we're facing now is the relation between, I mean, the vulnerabilities related to energy or to climate change adaptation or to energy transition. So these are like the three focus that we have now.
Speaker #0
How does that translate in practice?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, we can hear many voices talking about ensuring a just energy transition. But the reality is that what we can see within citizens is that citizens cannot access the information to reach this energy transition, not all the citizens. So all those who can access the information can benefit from this energy transition. The access to finance is not the same to everyone. So, for example, if you want to install photovoltaic installation in your house, for example, you need also some financing mechanism. And not everyone has access to that. And so this is not a real energy transition for everyone. So, yeah, in practical, we try to mobilize different stakeholders in order to ensure that everyone can access this transition.
Speaker #0
And in particular, you are managing the energy information points in Barcelona. Am I right?
Speaker #1
Yeah, the energy advice points in Barcelona, it's a public service run by the local municipality, by Ayuntament de Barcelona. They have like 10 offices in the whole city to give advice on energy topics and with the ultimate objective of identifying energy poverty in the city. This public service is coordinated by eco-surveys and by a social organisation. So we have made tandem with a social organisation called ABD. So we can give a complete service, which means giving technical advice, but also reaching those in vulnerability. And one of the interesting things of this service is that apart from the technical, I mean, our phone... for the advice that we give to the Barcelona society in general. I mean, people working in this energy advice point are people. that suffered energy poverty sometimes. So people not maybe now, but with a past situation of vulnerability. So we tested the model of the peer-to-peer advice.
Speaker #0
And how did you manage to engage them? And how did you identify those people in the first place? Because maybe our listeners are not so familiar with the concept of energy poverty. So could you expand a bit on this?
Speaker #1
You mean, for example, in the... in the energy advice point in barcelona right yes yeah um these are physical offices of course now with the covid situation we we've turned to yeah to virtual sometimes and we are we are coming back to face to face again but in a normal situation i mean we have offices in every district in the city and the offices are placed in municipal premises like the public for example uh the local authority building, for example, or I mean, a public building, for example, where people can enter and receive the advice. So it is quite an open service to everyone. You can access if you want. Furthermore, I mean, we are in touch with different services in the city, for example, with social services or with social organizations or charities dealing with vulnerable people too. So they send the files of these people too. So we advise them.
Speaker #0
Okay, and what kind of vulnerability or problems are they facing that make you think that they should be helped in a greater way or that they need particular support? And how do you help them also to cope with the climate transition or the just transition that you talked about at the beginning of our conversation? How do you engage them?
Speaker #1
I mean, the objective of the service in the case of Barcelona, It's to give advice, I mean, to try to solve a punctual situation because they have entered the service. But of course, the idea is to empower them and to give them information. What we have realized is that people need more information in order to improve their relation to energy, for example. So only by giving some energy advice or energy bill information, we see a huge impact in there. in the relation to energy.
Speaker #0
And how did you come to realize this? What was the, in your personal career, in your building projects, how did you learn this process of how did you manage to engage first? What is your personal motivation behind all this?
Speaker #1
I mean, I think there is not a magic formula and we need to adapt with every citizen and with every situation because all... Each situation has peculiarities and differences, but the main thing is that just by giving information, just by providing information, you can unblock certain situations. So, for example, if you have your energy supply or your electricity supply with X company, only by giving information on tariffs and existing protection measures, for example, You can unblock an unpaid situation or an unpaid bill or an energy cut. I mean, there are specific points on the energy bill or on the energy use at home. But each person has its problems related to energy.
Speaker #0
Have you seen the situation evolve since the year now that we are facing the COVID lockdowns? What has been your view, your takes on it? the situation or on the evolution of the situation?
Speaker #1
I mean, I have no, I mean, I don't have statistical data to prove that, but from our experience here in Barcelona and in other services, just with the COVID period, we have more situation of energy vulnerability just because people spend more time at home. And this means the whole summer last year. and now the winter. So if last year you were at your workplace or at any other place, not at your home during the daytime, now you are at home working at home. So you need more heating systems, more cooling systems in winter and your energy expenditure grows. And if you have had a difficult personal situation during COVID, With less work or less payment in terms of financial status of your income, more situations of energy vulnerability have arisen.
Speaker #0
Okay. And I also mentioned that you have been managing different projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national and European levels. Can you tell us a bit more about the European projects that you are involved in and how this has fed your understanding on how to advocate better for the vulnerable people? How it's changing with other European counterparts? helped you along the way?
Speaker #1
We've been working since the beginning with European projects. So for us, this is our, this is part, I mean, this is where we learn. We don't invent or reinvent the wheel. We only, I mean, open the window and see what other countries in Europe are doing or are saying or are identifying us as challenges. For example, that happens, I mean, there is a very I can explain the experience with energy poverty, for example, in 2006, some European colleagues from UK and France invited us to a European Intelligent Energy Europe proposal on energy poverty. And when we received it, I remember saying, we don't have energy poverty in the Mediterranean. I mean, we have a very temperate climate. This is not a southern problem. And I remember that colleague saying, OK, but try to look some statistics or some national data. And then When I started looking at national data and I realized that Spain and Portugal, I mean, had the more excess winter mortality rates. I said, OK, we have a problem here. And I remember another figure that was that 9% of the Spanish population couldn't maintain or couldn't keep the temperature at home in winter. And I thought, OK, maybe we have the problem. So. I remember typing energy poverty in Google in Spanish and it didn't appear as a wording, so it didn't exist. So, yeah, this is how we started working on energy poverty. So, yeah, I mean, learning from European projects and from other countries in Europe has been essential to eco-surveys and to our contribution to the collective actions in energy transition. Barcelona, in Catalonia and in Spain in general.
Speaker #0
That is absolutely fascinating because you can really see how your project got nurtured and how experience from other people can really change your own experience and your situation on the ground. So that's absolutely fascinating. And what other things did you learn on the way? I'm really curious about all those experiences with European counterparts and how you translated that into the Barcelona or Catalonia or Spanish context.
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, following with the example of energy poverty, I remember this first European project. It was called EPEE and was the very first European energy project on energy poverty. And the aim of this project was to work on the definition and on the legal recognition of the concept in Europe. So we work on that. But at the same time, we were learning how were the other countries acting within this problem. For example, I remember learning from France, training their social operators on energy issues. So we thought, OK, we are working now on identifying and setting, I mean, and giving visualization of energy poverty in Spain and giving and trying to. to get recognition for the problem, but we need to work with multipliers in order to eradicate the problem. So we started training social workers here in Spain because we learned that from the French experience.
Speaker #0
Okay. And now is France looking at you and do you think that they are also learning from you? How does that... cooperation continues?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, in another European project it was called ASIST. And after, I mean, if we started in 2006 and ASIST ended last year, so 2020, a lot, I mean, we've been doing a lot on energy poverty and training also. And for us, what we wanted to see from or to test from this pilot was if training people with emotional bond with vulnerable consumers was more useful in terms of the efficiency of an energy intervention, for example, and it wasn't tested before in Europe. So we tested here in... in Barcelona, and it was a success. And now, I mean, we have other countries trying to scale this model. And, for example, we are in another project now called SWEET from the European Social Catalyst Fund, where we are going to scale, to make the European scalability plan of this intervention model.
Speaker #0
Wow, that's really, that's so interesting. And I wish you the very best for this project, because I... Having been to Barcelona and having met with the social workers that have been trained, I think that they are doing an amazing job in engaging with people who are not even aware that they can get some benefits and that they can get a particular help for the situations that they are living in. So I think it will be amazing to have the replicability of this project. in other cities in Europe and in the rest of the world. So how would you like things to go in which direction? And what's the biggest area where you're curious about? And where would you like to expand in the future?
Speaker #1
Yeah, in EcoSurveys now we are working with, I would say, for approaching channels to citizens, for example. We have the vulnerability issue, I mean, the inequalities. and here we are working at different projects on energy poverty, but also mobility inequalities or related to adaptation. I mean, or, for example, the effects of the climate change on vulnerable people, because we think we need to work on the adaptation of these people because they need specific support, because we will have, I mean, heat waves, for example, in Europe, that will be a reality. And we need to protect those on vulnerability. So we have this... where we have projects and initiatives going on. We have also the energy transition and the global change focus too, because we want to ensure an energy transition and to ensure that citizens have access to the information. So here we are working on different projects, on one-stop shops and energy transition offices in different regions. We have also projects trying to engage YALF, But Not articulating the movement, and this is a thing that the youth movements are already doing, but trying to link these movements with the real policy. So here we are working on some projects, trying to work on these links. And also we are exploring and working on different projects also on sports, because we think that through sports we can give the message of sustainability and energy transition too.
Speaker #0
That's so interesting, this focus on youth and sports. It's absolutely, it's very original. How did you come up with this idea?
Speaker #1
I mean, also looking what citizens are doing in their real lives. I mean, we were watching the Fighters for Future movement, for example, and their previous movements. And also with sports, I mean, talking to citizens and seeing that if we... could articulate some projects related in these areas, we could increase the effectivity of these areas.
Speaker #0
So what I really like about your approach is that you take this kind of observation, then bottom up empowerment. You don't want too much. I mean, my understanding is that you don't want to disturb people, but you just want to nudge them into the energy and climate transition, into overcoming vulnerability, etc. So instead of trying to spread the word from a top-down approach, you try to engage with them on a daily basis. And that's very, very interesting and very inspiring because we see so many projects that don't really take off because they are too kind of vertical and people don't feel that it's about them. They feel quite disengaged. So what can you tell us about this way of... approaching the kind of innovation, social innovation through the bottom-up? I mean,
Speaker #1
this is our reason of existing. I mean, we came, I mean, previous to EcoSurveys, the founders of EcoSurveys were part of Energy Cooperative and things were, I mean, we're doing like the top on the other way around. So the idea or the objective why EcoSurveys exists is because we need the bottom-up approach. I mean, the problem... It's not the technology in terms of renewable energy. There are other problems. So society is facing challenges. So we need to feed from these challenges. So for us in the conservation, citizens are the experts. And we are only translating this expertise into challenges and initiatives and trying to solve them. So for us, this is the basis.
Speaker #0
And you already have quite a good experience with vulnerable people who are now training or informing other people about their energy rights, etc. So how will you do that with the sports and young people? What is your plan?
Speaker #1
We are already engaging in different projects. We are coordinating three projects on sports, three Erasmus on sports, Play Green, Green Coach and Striker. And yeah, we coordinate European projects and we work with, for example, football federations. So we look for the key stakeholders in the topic to work from there in the case of sport. And in the case of YALF, the same. We are also coordinating projects in this area and we work with specific stakeholders related to YALF.
Speaker #0
And this project with the sports, where can we find more information about it? swear Yeah,
Speaker #1
we have three projects on sports. You can check all the information on the website. One is called Play Green. The other one is called Green Coach. And the third one is called Striker. And three of these projects are Erasmus sports.
Speaker #0
Yeah, and they have different... Yeah,
Speaker #1
but they're related to sustainability in general. Okay.
Speaker #0
And for the project with young people... Yeah, the same.
Speaker #1
We are coordinating two projects to Erasmus. One is called Ice. and the other one is called Climate Tubers. So we will work on, this has just started, and we will work with participatory videos with YALF people. So these are the two, but at national and local level, we have also projects with these approaches, as well as with the energy transition and the vulnerabilities of inequalities. I mean, we try to work at different levels in order to feed and to enrich. the local initiatives but of course we need the european approach to to learn absolutely absolutely and so what are your your expectations for you for the future expectations you mean our challenges for example i mean where we want to focus we are really trying to yeah to work on the on ensuring the just energy transition with with all its implications i mean ensuring that vulnerable people or people in a situation of vulnerability can access the energy transition, but also to ensure that citizens play a central role, not only in a wording term, but in real terms. We want citizens to play a role in the energy transition.
Speaker #0
Yeah, as you said, they are the experts and we just have to listen to them.
Speaker #1
Yeah, this is, I mean, this is how we work. I mean, this is how we identify the real challenges. And yeah, we just try to... to propose solutions. Sometimes they don't work at all and sometimes they are a success. It's not always an easy path.
Speaker #0
And if you had one message to send to our listeners, what would that be? Like some hopes or some expectations or something that we can be excited about for you? What would that be?
Speaker #1
If we, I mean, if I'm thinking now some, that some professionals are on the other side of the... of the headphones now, it's like we need to listen to people. I mean, they will tell us what to do or how to act and how to work to ensure this energy transition.
Speaker #2
Okay. Thank you so much, Marta. It was super interesting.
Speaker #1
And thank you, Marine, for contacting me. It's a pleasure.
Speaker #0
Thanks for listening to Energetic. I hope you enjoyed our deep dive into sustainability and the just energy transition. with the most inspiring stakeholders. All links and resources are in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe. And if you like this podcast, why not recommend it to a friend or a colleague? To continue the conversation, head on over to Twitter or LinkedIn. Thank you for lending your ears. That's all for this episode. Until next time.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

What this episode covers:

How Ecoserveis came to define energy poverty in a Mediterranean context where the concept had no name — and what that process reveals about the limits of Northern European policy frameworks when applied elsewhere
The Barcelona energy advice points: a public service model that pairs technical energy guidance with peer support from people who have themselves experienced vulnerability
Why information access — not technology — remains the central barrier to an inclusive energy transition, and how targeted advice can unblock situations that financial support alone cannot
The compounding effect of COVID-19 on energy vulnerability, particularly for households that shifted from workplace to home without the financial or physical infrastructure to absorb that change
How European project networks enabled Ecoserveis to import, test, and ultimately export intervention models — including a peer-to-peer training approach now being scaled through the SWEET project

Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.

Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox

Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedIn
Music: I Need You Here - Kamarius
Edition: Podcast Media Factory

Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
Hello Passionate about sustainability, energy and climate? You're in the right place. Welcome to Energetic. I'm Marine Cornelis and together we will engage with people who dedicate their lives to climate justice and making a just energy transition happen. They may be activists,
Speaker #1
scientists, policy makers or other enthusiasts just like you. Let their life stories and insights inspire you to build a better future for people and the planet.
Speaker #0
Welcome to the first episode of Energetic. Today, my guest is Marta Garcia-Parez. Marta is the CEO of Ecoservice, the organization that has undoubtedly transformed the way in which energy poverty is addressed in Barcelona and in Europe. Since 2007, she has been managing projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national, and urban levels. Hi, Marta.
Speaker #1
Hi. Thanks for inviting.
Speaker #0
My pleasure. It's an honor to have you here. So, Marta, I already aroused the attention of the people who are listening to us. So can you tell us what EcoService is and what your activities are?
Speaker #1
We are a non-profit association and we work as a strategic innovation consultancy in topics related to energy, climate, transport. for mobility. I mean, our aim is to identify the energy challenges affecting people and to propose solutions. This is the mission of the organization. And then this means that we need to adapt and react fast as the challenges change every year or every period.
Speaker #0
So I'm curious, what are the challenges that you are facing right now and that you hadn't planned on the way?
Speaker #1
Yeah, Ecosurvey started in 1992. Facing one of the biggest challenges at that time, that was that renewable energies existed at that time, but there were a lot of barriers when trying to implement renewable energies at a larger scale. So there are, for example, legal barriers or cultural barriers or social barriers, financial barriers. So this is how we started in EcoSurface. Now the challenges, some of them are similar because there are still many, many challenges when trying to make renewable energies. mainstream, I mean, to be that everyone can have access to renewable energies at home or energy efficiency. But one of the major challenges we're facing now is the relation between, I mean, the vulnerabilities related to energy or to climate change adaptation or to energy transition. So these are like the three focus that we have now.
Speaker #0
How does that translate in practice?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, we can hear many voices talking about ensuring a just energy transition. But the reality is that what we can see within citizens is that citizens cannot access the information to reach this energy transition, not all the citizens. So all those who can access the information can benefit from this energy transition. The access to finance is not the same to everyone. So, for example, if you want to install photovoltaic installation in your house, for example, you need also some financing mechanism. And not everyone has access to that. And so this is not a real energy transition for everyone. So, yeah, in practical, we try to mobilize different stakeholders in order to ensure that everyone can access this transition.
Speaker #0
And in particular, you are managing the energy information points in Barcelona. Am I right?
Speaker #1
Yeah, the energy advice points in Barcelona, it's a public service run by the local municipality, by Ayuntament de Barcelona. They have like 10 offices in the whole city to give advice on energy topics and with the ultimate objective of identifying energy poverty in the city. This public service is coordinated by eco-surveys and by a social organisation. So we have made tandem with a social organisation called ABD. So we can give a complete service, which means giving technical advice, but also reaching those in vulnerability. And one of the interesting things of this service is that apart from the technical, I mean, our phone... for the advice that we give to the Barcelona society in general. I mean, people working in this energy advice point are people. that suffered energy poverty sometimes. So people not maybe now, but with a past situation of vulnerability. So we tested the model of the peer-to-peer advice.
Speaker #0
And how did you manage to engage them? And how did you identify those people in the first place? Because maybe our listeners are not so familiar with the concept of energy poverty. So could you expand a bit on this?
Speaker #1
You mean, for example, in the... in the energy advice point in barcelona right yes yeah um these are physical offices of course now with the covid situation we we've turned to yeah to virtual sometimes and we are we are coming back to face to face again but in a normal situation i mean we have offices in every district in the city and the offices are placed in municipal premises like the public for example uh the local authority building, for example, or I mean, a public building, for example, where people can enter and receive the advice. So it is quite an open service to everyone. You can access if you want. Furthermore, I mean, we are in touch with different services in the city, for example, with social services or with social organizations or charities dealing with vulnerable people too. So they send the files of these people too. So we advise them.
Speaker #0
Okay, and what kind of vulnerability or problems are they facing that make you think that they should be helped in a greater way or that they need particular support? And how do you help them also to cope with the climate transition or the just transition that you talked about at the beginning of our conversation? How do you engage them?
Speaker #1
I mean, the objective of the service in the case of Barcelona, It's to give advice, I mean, to try to solve a punctual situation because they have entered the service. But of course, the idea is to empower them and to give them information. What we have realized is that people need more information in order to improve their relation to energy, for example. So only by giving some energy advice or energy bill information, we see a huge impact in there. in the relation to energy.
Speaker #0
And how did you come to realize this? What was the, in your personal career, in your building projects, how did you learn this process of how did you manage to engage first? What is your personal motivation behind all this?
Speaker #1
I mean, I think there is not a magic formula and we need to adapt with every citizen and with every situation because all... Each situation has peculiarities and differences, but the main thing is that just by giving information, just by providing information, you can unblock certain situations. So, for example, if you have your energy supply or your electricity supply with X company, only by giving information on tariffs and existing protection measures, for example, You can unblock an unpaid situation or an unpaid bill or an energy cut. I mean, there are specific points on the energy bill or on the energy use at home. But each person has its problems related to energy.
Speaker #0
Have you seen the situation evolve since the year now that we are facing the COVID lockdowns? What has been your view, your takes on it? the situation or on the evolution of the situation?
Speaker #1
I mean, I have no, I mean, I don't have statistical data to prove that, but from our experience here in Barcelona and in other services, just with the COVID period, we have more situation of energy vulnerability just because people spend more time at home. And this means the whole summer last year. and now the winter. So if last year you were at your workplace or at any other place, not at your home during the daytime, now you are at home working at home. So you need more heating systems, more cooling systems in winter and your energy expenditure grows. And if you have had a difficult personal situation during COVID, With less work or less payment in terms of financial status of your income, more situations of energy vulnerability have arisen.
Speaker #0
Okay. And I also mentioned that you have been managing different projects and advocating for vulnerable consumers' rights at local, national and European levels. Can you tell us a bit more about the European projects that you are involved in and how this has fed your understanding on how to advocate better for the vulnerable people? How it's changing with other European counterparts? helped you along the way?
Speaker #1
We've been working since the beginning with European projects. So for us, this is our, this is part, I mean, this is where we learn. We don't invent or reinvent the wheel. We only, I mean, open the window and see what other countries in Europe are doing or are saying or are identifying us as challenges. For example, that happens, I mean, there is a very I can explain the experience with energy poverty, for example, in 2006, some European colleagues from UK and France invited us to a European Intelligent Energy Europe proposal on energy poverty. And when we received it, I remember saying, we don't have energy poverty in the Mediterranean. I mean, we have a very temperate climate. This is not a southern problem. And I remember that colleague saying, OK, but try to look some statistics or some national data. And then When I started looking at national data and I realized that Spain and Portugal, I mean, had the more excess winter mortality rates. I said, OK, we have a problem here. And I remember another figure that was that 9% of the Spanish population couldn't maintain or couldn't keep the temperature at home in winter. And I thought, OK, maybe we have the problem. So. I remember typing energy poverty in Google in Spanish and it didn't appear as a wording, so it didn't exist. So, yeah, this is how we started working on energy poverty. So, yeah, I mean, learning from European projects and from other countries in Europe has been essential to eco-surveys and to our contribution to the collective actions in energy transition. Barcelona, in Catalonia and in Spain in general.
Speaker #0
That is absolutely fascinating because you can really see how your project got nurtured and how experience from other people can really change your own experience and your situation on the ground. So that's absolutely fascinating. And what other things did you learn on the way? I'm really curious about all those experiences with European counterparts and how you translated that into the Barcelona or Catalonia or Spanish context.
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, following with the example of energy poverty, I remember this first European project. It was called EPEE and was the very first European energy project on energy poverty. And the aim of this project was to work on the definition and on the legal recognition of the concept in Europe. So we work on that. But at the same time, we were learning how were the other countries acting within this problem. For example, I remember learning from France, training their social operators on energy issues. So we thought, OK, we are working now on identifying and setting, I mean, and giving visualization of energy poverty in Spain and giving and trying to. to get recognition for the problem, but we need to work with multipliers in order to eradicate the problem. So we started training social workers here in Spain because we learned that from the French experience.
Speaker #0
Okay. And now is France looking at you and do you think that they are also learning from you? How does that... cooperation continues?
Speaker #1
Yeah, for example, in another European project it was called ASIST. And after, I mean, if we started in 2006 and ASIST ended last year, so 2020, a lot, I mean, we've been doing a lot on energy poverty and training also. And for us, what we wanted to see from or to test from this pilot was if training people with emotional bond with vulnerable consumers was more useful in terms of the efficiency of an energy intervention, for example, and it wasn't tested before in Europe. So we tested here in... in Barcelona, and it was a success. And now, I mean, we have other countries trying to scale this model. And, for example, we are in another project now called SWEET from the European Social Catalyst Fund, where we are going to scale, to make the European scalability plan of this intervention model.
Speaker #0
Wow, that's really, that's so interesting. And I wish you the very best for this project, because I... Having been to Barcelona and having met with the social workers that have been trained, I think that they are doing an amazing job in engaging with people who are not even aware that they can get some benefits and that they can get a particular help for the situations that they are living in. So I think it will be amazing to have the replicability of this project. in other cities in Europe and in the rest of the world. So how would you like things to go in which direction? And what's the biggest area where you're curious about? And where would you like to expand in the future?
Speaker #1
Yeah, in EcoSurveys now we are working with, I would say, for approaching channels to citizens, for example. We have the vulnerability issue, I mean, the inequalities. and here we are working at different projects on energy poverty, but also mobility inequalities or related to adaptation. I mean, or, for example, the effects of the climate change on vulnerable people, because we think we need to work on the adaptation of these people because they need specific support, because we will have, I mean, heat waves, for example, in Europe, that will be a reality. And we need to protect those on vulnerability. So we have this... where we have projects and initiatives going on. We have also the energy transition and the global change focus too, because we want to ensure an energy transition and to ensure that citizens have access to the information. So here we are working on different projects, on one-stop shops and energy transition offices in different regions. We have also projects trying to engage YALF, But Not articulating the movement, and this is a thing that the youth movements are already doing, but trying to link these movements with the real policy. So here we are working on some projects, trying to work on these links. And also we are exploring and working on different projects also on sports, because we think that through sports we can give the message of sustainability and energy transition too.
Speaker #0
That's so interesting, this focus on youth and sports. It's absolutely, it's very original. How did you come up with this idea?
Speaker #1
I mean, also looking what citizens are doing in their real lives. I mean, we were watching the Fighters for Future movement, for example, and their previous movements. And also with sports, I mean, talking to citizens and seeing that if we... could articulate some projects related in these areas, we could increase the effectivity of these areas.
Speaker #0
So what I really like about your approach is that you take this kind of observation, then bottom up empowerment. You don't want too much. I mean, my understanding is that you don't want to disturb people, but you just want to nudge them into the energy and climate transition, into overcoming vulnerability, etc. So instead of trying to spread the word from a top-down approach, you try to engage with them on a daily basis. And that's very, very interesting and very inspiring because we see so many projects that don't really take off because they are too kind of vertical and people don't feel that it's about them. They feel quite disengaged. So what can you tell us about this way of... approaching the kind of innovation, social innovation through the bottom-up? I mean,
Speaker #1
this is our reason of existing. I mean, we came, I mean, previous to EcoSurveys, the founders of EcoSurveys were part of Energy Cooperative and things were, I mean, we're doing like the top on the other way around. So the idea or the objective why EcoSurveys exists is because we need the bottom-up approach. I mean, the problem... It's not the technology in terms of renewable energy. There are other problems. So society is facing challenges. So we need to feed from these challenges. So for us in the conservation, citizens are the experts. And we are only translating this expertise into challenges and initiatives and trying to solve them. So for us, this is the basis.
Speaker #0
And you already have quite a good experience with vulnerable people who are now training or informing other people about their energy rights, etc. So how will you do that with the sports and young people? What is your plan?
Speaker #1
We are already engaging in different projects. We are coordinating three projects on sports, three Erasmus on sports, Play Green, Green Coach and Striker. And yeah, we coordinate European projects and we work with, for example, football federations. So we look for the key stakeholders in the topic to work from there in the case of sport. And in the case of YALF, the same. We are also coordinating projects in this area and we work with specific stakeholders related to YALF.
Speaker #0
And this project with the sports, where can we find more information about it? swear Yeah,
Speaker #1
we have three projects on sports. You can check all the information on the website. One is called Play Green. The other one is called Green Coach. And the third one is called Striker. And three of these projects are Erasmus sports.
Speaker #0
Yeah, and they have different... Yeah,
Speaker #1
but they're related to sustainability in general. Okay.
Speaker #0
And for the project with young people... Yeah, the same.
Speaker #1
We are coordinating two projects to Erasmus. One is called Ice. and the other one is called Climate Tubers. So we will work on, this has just started, and we will work with participatory videos with YALF people. So these are the two, but at national and local level, we have also projects with these approaches, as well as with the energy transition and the vulnerabilities of inequalities. I mean, we try to work at different levels in order to feed and to enrich. the local initiatives but of course we need the european approach to to learn absolutely absolutely and so what are your your expectations for you for the future expectations you mean our challenges for example i mean where we want to focus we are really trying to yeah to work on the on ensuring the just energy transition with with all its implications i mean ensuring that vulnerable people or people in a situation of vulnerability can access the energy transition, but also to ensure that citizens play a central role, not only in a wording term, but in real terms. We want citizens to play a role in the energy transition.
Speaker #0
Yeah, as you said, they are the experts and we just have to listen to them.
Speaker #1
Yeah, this is, I mean, this is how we work. I mean, this is how we identify the real challenges. And yeah, we just try to... to propose solutions. Sometimes they don't work at all and sometimes they are a success. It's not always an easy path.
Speaker #0
And if you had one message to send to our listeners, what would that be? Like some hopes or some expectations or something that we can be excited about for you? What would that be?
Speaker #1
If we, I mean, if I'm thinking now some, that some professionals are on the other side of the... of the headphones now, it's like we need to listen to people. I mean, they will tell us what to do or how to act and how to work to ensure this energy transition.
Speaker #2
Okay. Thank you so much, Marta. It was super interesting.
Speaker #1
And thank you, Marine, for contacting me. It's a pleasure.
Speaker #0
Thanks for listening to Energetic. I hope you enjoyed our deep dive into sustainability and the just energy transition. with the most inspiring stakeholders. All links and resources are in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe. And if you like this podcast, why not recommend it to a friend or a colleague? To continue the conversation, head on over to Twitter or LinkedIn. Thank you for lending your ears. That's all for this episode. Until next time.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Energy transitions are failing not because of technology, but because of governance. Who bears the cost of getting it wrong. Who is excluded from the benefits. Who holds the institutions accountable.

The conversations are rigorous and grounded. The guests are people with direct institutional knowledge and genuine stakes in getting this right.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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