“What are we doing to get everyone on board ?”: €82,300 in pledges made at the EnerGaïa Forum in Montpellier to fight against substandard housing

On Wednesday, December 11, shortly before noon, the “Grand challenge solidaire” counter displayed €35,000 in pledges. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

The "Grand challenge solidaire" ended at the EnerGaïa Forum, at the Parc des Expositions in Pérols. €82,300 in pledges were recorded. The collection continues until December 31 on the Énergie solidaire website.

Energy insecurity is a daily reality for many residents of the Montpellier metropolitan area. Living in poorly insulated buildings is a near-impossible mission to heat your home without blowing up your energy bill. And undertaking renovation work on these homes is well beyond the means of low-income households. There is only one option for them: turn down the heating and endure the cold.

Faced with this energy insecurity, and because it is also a public health issue, Énergie solidaire, an endowment fund launched in 2017 in France to support associations fighting against energy insecurity, then in 2023 in Occitanie with the support of the Occitanie Region, has decided to launch the “Grand challenge solidaire”. Its objective ? Accelerate the fight against energy insecurity during the EnerGaïa Forum at the Parc des Expositions in Pérols, which closes its doors this Thursday, December 12.

A hard-hitting operation

“What are we doing to get everyone on board to accelerate the energy renovation of the sieve housing of the most modest households? This is the question we asked ourselves. To answer it, we decided to launch a hard-hitting operation, a major solidarity challenge, which will also unite and mobilize all the players in the renewable energy and sustainable building sectors around a common cause“, explains Estelle Retzignac, head of communication and donor relations for Énergie solidaire.

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Before adding: “If we don't help the most vulnerable people get out of energy poverty and support them in the energy transition, we will never achieve a complete transition.” To participate, go to the Énergie solidaire website (energie-solidaire.org, “News” section or click directly on the section). You have until December 31 to participate. The fundraiser, launched at the EnerGaïa Forum, raised €82,300 in pledges in two days.

Everyone can choose the amount they want, a little or a lot, it doesn't matter, “because all donations count“, she insists. They are eligible for tax deductions. The funds collected will be donated in full to Énergie solidaire Occitanie.

Five selected associations

The Occitan commitment committee of Énergie solidaire then selects the associations involved in the fight against energy insecurity. The five winners of the 2024 call for projects are Terre de liens Midi-Pyrénées in Aveyron, Soliha Méditerranée in Gard, Écorce in Ariège, Territoire zéro exclusion énergétique Carcassonne Agglo and Service entraide protestant in Gard.

As part of the 2023 call for projects, one of the winning associations was the Montpellier association G.E.F.O.S.A.T., which is involved in the solidarity energy transition. It received a €25,000 fund to set up a small-scale maintenance service for Hérault tenants in the private sector who are in energy poverty, enabling them to make concrete and rapid energy or water savings.

The operation, which is still ongoing, took time to build a network of professionals. Between Capeb artisans and solidarity companions, there will be around ten of them working for 9 selected tenants in Montpellier. “We also received €3,000 from the Métropole and €1,000 from the Baywa.re company to complete the envelope“, explains Laura Gazaix from the G.E.F.O.S.A.T. association.