[20.07.22] Press release-ENEA and ENPOR raised high school students’ awareness on the energy poverty topic during the White Energy Week

By Axelle Gallerand, IEECP

The fourth edition of the White Energy Week, for transversal skills and orientation (P.C.T.O.), organised by Seaside, an ESCo of the Italgas Group, and developed in collaboration with ENPOR’s partner ENEA – the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development took place in March 2022.

During that week, 25 classes of secondary schools in the Regional School Office of Emilia Romagna received the visit from ENEA experts presenting key energy topic aspects.

The event, held since 2017, reached over 8,500 people students and families so far. The goal of the White Energy Week is to bring awareness on energy efficiency to young audiences and have them adopt sustainable behaviours in their family home.

This year, ENPOR was a big player in the discussions taking place as ENEA experts presented the activities of ENPOR and the students were encouraged with a “call for action” to adopt efficient behaviours at home. Moreover, many of the students also provided direct feedback replying to an ad hoc questionnaire prepared by ENEA on their views on energy efficiency, and on the behaviours they adopt in their houses to decrease the energy consumption.

ENEA experts presented the ENPOR project to bring awareness on energy poverty alleviation and why European projects such as ENPOR are important and receive funding. ENEA also developed materials that explain what energy poverty is like in Italy by providing information, statistics and graphics that are easy to understand and with tips easy to implement for students.

Alessandro Federici, from ENEA, explained that: “It is important to involve the world of schools in issues related to energy efficiency, sustainable economic development and environmental protection, central to the growth of the younger generations. The White Energy Week is a leading project in which the Agency’s training activities are fully included, aimed at transferring theoretical and practical knowledge useful for the professions of the future and raise awareness among young students also on highly topical issues such as the fight against energy poverty”.

More than 550 students were involved this year, they have been followed by specialized tutors to bring them closer to the role of the Energy Manager, providing them with methodologies and tools for the preparation of the energy diagnosis of their school building. Through the collection and analysis of energy, economic and environmental data, the areas of waste and the interventions that can lead to a concrete saving of energy and CO2 emissions will be identified.

Material available: