The VERBUND Electricity Assistance Fund of Caritas supports people who cannot always manage on their own. We help people in need in Austria to free themselves from the ‘energy trap’. A below-average income often leads to above-average energy consumption. In cooperation with Caritas, VERBUND offers professional energy counselling, appliance replacement and bridging finance for electricity bills.
The fund has been helping people in Austria for 15 years. In future, Caritas projects to help Ukraine and the ‘Spark Warmth’ programme will also be supported with a total of 5 million euros. The focus is on caring for orphans and people with disabilities.
Those affected can contact over 70 Caritas social counselling centres in all federal states. Here, the individual situation is analysed and suitable measures are determined. Regardless of the electricity provider, 500 to 600 households can be supported each year. VERBUND also finances energy counselling and the transport of replacement appliances.
Certified energy consultants analyse how energy can be saved in households, e.g. through energy-saving appliances or new window seals. The fund promotes the replacement of old appliances with energy-efficient branded products from Bosch, Siemens and Neff.
If a household is unable to pay its electricity bill, the Electricity Assistance Fund offers timely help to prevent the electricity being cut off. The prerequisite for support is an energy consultation and any efficiency measures implemented. One year after the measures have been implemented, the energy consultant checks their effectiveness.
