15.09.2025
Can VEM Points Help Reduce Energy Poverty? Consultation in Zasavje Brought Some Key Messages
On Thursday, 4 September 2025, a consultation titled “Energy Poverty in Zasavje: How Can VEM Points Help?” took place at the premises of the Regional Development Agency Zasavje.
The event, organized by the environmental organization Focus within the framework of the RENOVERTY project, brought together local stakeholders, experts, and institutional representatives to seek answers to the question of how “one-stop shops” (VEM points) can effectively contribute to reducing energy poverty in Slovenia. IRI UL was present due to its activities in establishing one-stop shops within the Renov-AID project.
Key messages from the consultation:
- The current definition of energy poverty excludes many vulnerable groups – numerous residents facing challenges in practice are not formally recognized as energy poor.
- 100% subsidies for vulnerable owners in the renovation of multi-apartment buildings are possible, but residents often do not know they are eligible. Better information and awareness-raising are needed.
- ENSVET energy counselling is still not well known. People often do not trust it and think: “nothing will come out of this.” Therefore, building trust and motivation is essential.
- A priority order of measures and clear rules are necessary, as funds will come from the Social Climate Fund.
- Experiences from other cities highlight different challenges: in Velenje, interest in renovations is low, suggesting that accessible funding alone is not enough – local activation of key stakeholders is also important.
- Subsidy application procedures must be simple, without unnecessary intermediate steps, as bureaucratic obstacles often discourage the most vulnerable.
Implications for the future:
The establishment of effective VEM points could become a breakthrough solution for tackling energy poverty:
- they will serve as a bridge between vulnerable households and the support environment,
- they will provide transparent and fast access to subsidies,
- by involving local social work centres, healthcare institutions, humanitarian organizations, and energy counsellors, they can become key trust-building centres.
The consultation in Zasavje showed that energy renovations are not only a technical issue, but above all a social and organizational one. If VEM points are successfully implemented, they could represent a true turning point in the fight against energy poverty in Slovenia and beyond.
