Issues tackled
With a goal to create long-lasting energy communities for 460 families, SOCIALNRG is bringing together social and cooperative housing providers operating in Belgium, Italy, and Slovenia to support low-income residents amid soaring energy costs. But beyond economic relief, the project aims to empower residents by strengthening local resilience, fostering social connections, and promoting citizen ownership of the energy system.
By actively involving households in vulnerable situations, SOCIALNRG ensures that they have a voice in shaping the energy transition—demonstrating that climate action and social justice can go hand in hand without compromising long-term sustainability. In a time when social and environmental policies risk being sidelined for the sake of competitiveness, SOCIALNRG stands as a blueprint for an inclusive and democratic energy transition.
🇧🇪 In the Belgian city of Mechelen, the social housing provider Woonland has started retrofitting the 1970s-built Kriekenijvelden neighbourhood, translated from Dutch as “Cherry Fields,” to replace outdated and unfit for living homes with a fossil-free apartment block and houses. The SOCIALNRG project will study the feasibility of a district heating network that could help the entire community switch from gas to geothermal energy. If viable, 71 social housing units and some of the 78 surrounding private homes could be connected to this network, helping the city meet its ambitious 40-50% CO2 reduction target by 2030.
🇮🇹 Near Milan, Italy, the very densely populated and economically vulnerable Cinisello Balsamo is also getting a green makeover. Unabita, one of Italy’s largest housing cooperatives, is turning to solar power, installing photovoltaic panels on rooftops to cut residents’ bills and give them a say in managing their own energy use.
🇸🇮 In Ravne na Koroškem, Slovenia, a town built on a steelworking legacy, social housing provider Stanovanjsko podjetje (STAN) is already rolling out deep renovations, such as prefabricated facades, heat pumps, and self-shading windows for medium-sized multi-apartment buildings. With the support of SOCIALNRG, STAN would like to see housing residents who rely on modest incomes or social support to get a chance to tap into sustainable energy and feel less overburdened.
Housing Europe will ensure the coordination of the project, making sure that the concept is well implemented and the results will be widely shared.
SOCIALNRG is also partnering with academia, including the Institute for Innovation and Development of University of Ljubljana (IRI UL), to measure household attitudes toward energy poverty and energy community participation. Through workshops, sensory walks, and interviews, IRI UL will gather data that will shape the energy communities. The Slovenian pilot will also be supported by FOCUS, a local association active in climate change and global responsibility. In Mechelen, Woonland will rely on the specific knowledge of KLIMAAN, while Italy’s INOVACOOP will be backed up by ENOSTRA. In Brussels, Housing Europe will also work closely with REScoop.eu which has solid experience in overcoming energy communities hurdles.
Responsible Housing Europe colleagues and coordinators of SOCIALNRG: João Gonçalves and Dara Turnbull
The SOCIALNRG project has received funding from the European Union’s LIFE programme under grant agreement No 101167579.
Exploring new pathways to democratise energy communities across Europe
