Electricity-saving audit for low-income households.

Caritas and a number of energy agencies are launching a pilot project for cost-saving and climate protection.

The scheme, known as "Stromspar-Check für einkommensschwache Haushalte" (Electricity-saving audit for low-income households), is being implemented via the Federal Environment Ministry's Climate Initiative and aims to help numerous low-income households reduce their energy consumption.
Electricity prices for domestic consumers across Germany have increased by more than 20% over the last five years. Low-income households are hardest hit by these increases and are rarely able to offset the price increases by reducing their electricity consumption.

Of course, low-income households - like every household - have the potential to make substantial electricity savings, but in most cases, they lack the funds to replace their often old and inefficient appliances with new low-consumption equivalents. This is the starting point for the Federal Environment Ministry's social energy efficiency initiative.
The Federal Environment Ministry, in cooperation with the German Caritas Association and the German Federation of Energy and Climate Protection Agencies (eaD), launched the scheme in December 2008 in order to help low-income households save electricity and protect the climate at the same time. It targets all households in receipt of unemployment benefit II, social assistance or housing benefit.

The pilot project in Freiburg und Berlin has shown that consumption of electricity and hot water alone can be reduced by as much as 10-20% by changing behaviour and taking simple steps such as using energy-saving bulbs and switch-operated strip-type sockets to avoid the standby mode on TVs and computers, and by fitting timers and water-saving perlators and shower heads.
The target is to provide advice to 12,000 low-income households at 59 locations across Germany and install energy-saving devices in these households at no cost. The special feature of the scheme is that the advice and installation are undertaken by "energy-saving support workers" - former long-term unemployed persons who have received appropriate training from the regional energy agencies. The project thus helps to reintegrate jobless people into the primary labour market as well.

Anyone wishing to participate in the scheme can access all the relevant information at: www.stromspar-check.de. The website also gives the names of the regional partners with whom households can register. Flyers and posters with the slogan "Saved electricity - bought a football" are being displayed at the various locations to encourage people to participate in the scheme.