Coimbra, Portugal, June 27, 2025 (Lusa) - Coimbra is hosting an event on Friday that aims to raise awareness about the invisible emergency of energy poverty, with various experts and decision-makers discussing solutions for the approximately 3 million Portuguese people who struggle to access thermal comfort.
“Portugal is experiencing a quiet, unseen challenge within its own homes.
In the 21st century, thousands of families seek comfort and thermal safety, as the event organisers said, highlighting that many still endure cold winters and hot summers.”
The São Francisco Convent in the city of Coimbra will host the national event “Combating Energy Poverty: Knowledge, Action and Community Voices” on Friday.
According to the organisers, up to three million Portuguese lack adequate thermal comfort.
“Between 1.8 and 3 million people experience energy poverty, and up to 660,000 face it severely. In 2023 alone, one in five Portuguese acknowledged that they could not heat their homes in winter,” it said.
Given this “urgent context,” the organisers designed the meeting to give a voice to citizens and bring together experts, policymakers, local communities, and citizens.
Several partner entities, including ZERO and the National Coordination of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty (ENCP), have organised the event, which aims to raise awareness about the reality and impacts of energy poverty in Portugal.
It also aims to “give a voice to the people and communities most affected” and “propose concrete solutions for fairer, more effective and participatory public policies”.
The opening is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., with the Mayor of Coimbra, José Manuel Silva, and Sandra Araújo, from CN-ENCP.
During the morning, we will hold two panels: the first on “The State of Energy Poverty in Portugal” and the second on “Solutions in Motion: Projects and Good Practices”.
In the afternoon, the event will provide a space for citizens to share their perspectives and an interactive session, promoting the search for ways to act through working groups on Energy Education and Literacy, Public Policies and Financing, Community Intervention, and Innovation and Private Initiative.
The closing session is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with a summary of the proceedings and a speech by Nelson Lage, from ADENE.
CMM/ADB // ADB.
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