A warm home should not be a luxury: Feminist Communities for Climate Justice hosts webinar on energy

Published: Thursday, December 05, 2024

Feminist Communities for Climate Justice (FCCJ) – a joint project between the National Women’s Council (NWC) and Community Work Ireland (CWI) – today (5th December) hosted a webinar Safe, Warm, Green: Towards Energy Justice that highlighted the gendered nature of energy poverty and the urgent need for the next Government to prioritise publicly owned, green energy to ensure everyone can live in a warm home. 

 

Ireland’s housing stock is among the most energy-inefficient in Europe, consuming nearly 60% more energy than the European average. As a result, Irish homes are expensive to heat and struggle to retain warmth. The energy cost crisis is worsened by our dependence on imported fossil fuels, which are subject to price fluctuations due to supply chain issues.

 

Currently, one in three Irish households experiences energy poverty. Women and many marginalised communities, such as Travellers and Roma, disabled people, migrants and those living in Direct Provision, are more likely to experience energy poverty due to socio-economic disadvantages. 45% of lone parents, the vast majority of whom are women, live in enforced deprivation and in private rented accommodation and are the most affected by energy poverty. 

 

Collette McEntee, Project Coordinator of FCCJ said,

“A warm and safe home should not be a luxury. However, for too many women and people from marginalised communities, living in a warm, energy efficient home is unattainable. Access to energy efficiency grants and schemes such as retrofitting is impaired by cost, long waiting lists and eligibility issues for those who are not ‘traditional’ homeowners such as private renters, Travellers and those in Direct Provision and emergency accommodation. 

 

We are calling on the next Government to prioritise investment in green, publicly owned energy that ensures our energy supply is sustainable and less affected by price fluctuations on the international markets. In addition, we need targeted and increased investment in retrofitting schemes as well as a broadening of eligibility criteria of these schemes to move towards a situation where all homes are energy efficient and warm.”  

 

She continued,

“The way we currently define energy poverty is too narrow as it only looks at the percentage of household income spent on energy use. We need to develop a comprehensive measurement that includes factors such as people reducing their energy use to harmful or unhealthy levels in order to save on the costs or people whose energy use isn’t properly measured, such as Travellers who are not connected to a standard meter.” 

 

The webinar explored issues around energy poverty from different perspectives with speakers including : Theresa O’Donohoe, graduate of the Community Work in a Changing Ireland Certificate Programme run by the Department of Applied Social Studies in Maynooth University in conjunction with Community Work Ireland and the National Women’s Council; Sara Hurley, Global Citizen Education and Outreach Officer, Friends of the Earth; Elena Manciu, Roma Climate Justice Peer Education Worker, Friends of the Earth & Cairde; Avril Ní Shearcaigh, Aran Islands Energy Cooperative

ENDS/

Notes:

What: Safe, Warm, Green: Towards Energy Justice webinar

When: 5 December 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Where: online, register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/safe-green-warm-towards-energy-justice-tickets-1081561041189?aff=oddtdtcreator 

 

Speakers will include

Theresa O’Donohoe – graduate of the changing Ireland certificate programme run by the Department of Applied Social Studies in Maynooth University in conjunction with Community Work Ireland and the National Women’s Council
Sara Hurley – Global Citizen Education and Outreach Officer, Friends of the Earth 
Elena Manciu, Roma Climate Justice Peer Education Worker, Friends of the Earth & Cairde
Avril Ní Shearcaigh, Aran Islands Energy Cooperative