Closing of the Living Lab EnerPeace: a pioneering space for dialogue and action on energy poverty

Living Labs function as dynamic spaces for creative learning, co-creation and collective action, where experts, institutions, organisations and citizens work together to tackle complex problems such as fuel poverty. This approach combines scientific evidence with practical experiences and voices of people directly affected, enabling data-driven and participatory solutions to be generated.

Multi-stakeholder dialogue: from data to solutions

The session was introduced by José Carlos Romero, coordinator of the EnerPeace Living Lab and also coordinator of the Chair in Energy and Poverty, and Teresa Morales, Director of EUPeace at Comillas, who highlighted the value of the Living Lab as a forum for multidisciplinary collaboration, capable of integrating research, professional experience and citizen voices. They also stressed the importance of framing these projects within the European EUPeace alliance, in order to enhance their scope, impact and sustainability.

Representatives from MITECO, Endesa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, EAPN Madrid and vulnerable groups participated in the roundtable . Participants stressed the importance of combining quantitative data with real people's stories, which allows for the identification of common ground and the design of more effective policies.

One of the key messages was the need to avoid stigmatisation of people experiencing poverty and to recognise that, beyond differences between sectors, there is a common goal: to protect vulnerable people and move towards sustainable and just solutions.

Key insights from research and collaboration

During the meeting, it was highlighted that energy  poverty in Spain remains a structural problem:

• 16.5 % of households spend disproportionately more on energy than their income.
• Almost 18% of households report that they cannot keep their homes at an adequate temperature in winter.
• Around one third of rented households are in fuel poverty, with values that far exceed the incidence in the general population.

These findings confirm the urgency of more effective public policies and interventions designed with scientific evidence and real experience. These conclusions are particularly relevant in view of the publication of the new National Strategy against Fuel Poverty in early 2026, to which the conclusions of the Living Lab have contributed.

Towards a permanent space for participation

The participants highlighted the importance of consolidating the Living Lab as a stable forum for collaboration, which will enable the systematisation of findings, improve access to data, simplify procedures and reduce the gap between regulations and reality. This includes the creation of consultation and advisory mechanisms that directly incorporate the voices of those experiencing fuel poverty.

Mercedes Saiz, a participant affected by fuel poverty, closed the event by recalling the need to "shield vulnerability and care for the vulnerable", reinforcing the importance of continuing research into the multidimensional causes of the problem.

A look at the results of the Living Lab

• First session: identification of challenges and first proposals for the future National Energy Poverty Strategy (ENPE 2025-2030).
• Second session: participatory design of a Social Roundtable to accompany the ENPE, systematising contributions for the MITECO.
• Third session: elaboration of protocols to protect households against supply cuts, prioritising measures based on evidence and real experience.
• Fourth session: online session to make concrete proposals in the framework of the public consultation of the draft ENPE 2025-2030.

Conclusion

The EnerPeace Living Lab demonstrates how rigorous research can be translated into effective social action when combined with citizen participation and multi-stakeholder dialogue.

The data from the Energy Poverty Indicators Report 2024 not only documents the magnitude and characteristics of the problem, but also serves as a basis for designing more inclusive, sustainable and tailored public policies.