Keynote #2 – Stefan Goemaere (Papillon project)
According to Stefan Goemaere (Papillon project) energy poverty is also about not being able to cool your home. "In Spain people die, because they can not pay for their electricity bills for the air conditioner in summer." Stefan works in Belgium and discovered that one out of three people that live in poverty, have energy wasting appliances. In Flanders this is about 135.000 families. These families often do not have access to energy-efficient household appliances, and the majority of them have outdated appliances. This is not only bad for the climate, but also generates high energy and water bills and leads to energy poverty as a result. The Papillon project is replacing obsolete appliances with more modern energy-efficient appliances on the basis of leasing per month. This can reduce CO2 emissions per appliance in 10 years between 240kg and 870kg. And for € 7 a month, families can lease a triple A refrigerator that saves electricity, and fits within their budgets.