The EU Fuel Poverty Network (EUFPN) was launched in November 2011 to bring together researchers and practitioners from across Europe working to address domestic energy deprivation. Since launching there has been a very active level of engagement with the EUFPN by the fuel poverty community, as evidenced by the substantial number of website visitors (over 18,500 since re-launching in November 2012) and the high number of guest blog articles written by researchers from across Europe. The associated Twitter account has around 1,100 followers, comprised of researchers, national and European politicians, and campaign organisations. Furthermore, there is evidence that decision-makers are using this resource to inform their work, with Diane Dodds MEP citing the EUFPN in a written question to the European Commission in April 2013.
In 2012, the EUFPN was awarded funding from Eaga Charitable Trust to expand the website by developing a resource archive, and in recent months, we have been delighted to welcome three new volunteers to the team: Raúl Castaño De la Rosa (Spain), Rhionna Mackay (Scotland), and Irene Morris (Ireland). All three have brought with them fresh ideas for the website and broader activities that the network could be involved with, and I am looking forward to our future collaborations. If you have suggestions for activities that we should be undertaking, and/or would like to contribute to the EUFPN as a volunteer, please do get in contact!
Become a network member
Our latest development is network membership, which allows anyone with an interest in fuel poverty to join the EUFPN and to create a free online profile. Registering as a member is easy – simply visit www.fuelpoverty.eu/register and fill out a short form. For maximum benefit, do not forget to add your work interests and a summary of the collaborations you are looking to establish.
As well as raising the profile of individual members and enabling networking with other researchers and practitioners in the field, members will be able to access exclusive members-only content that we are currently developing.
Where next?
As noted above, our team of volunteers has exciting plans in store for the future. For example, we are currently in the process of updating the resources archive and migrating it to a wiki-style format that any member will be able to update.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to get involved, feel free to email us at fuelpoverty.eu [at] gmail.com, tweet @fuelpoverty_eu, or write in the comments below!
People and Energy Collective 