Habeck bolsters energy conservation assistance for low-income households The Stromspar-Check project will continue for a further three years and receive around €39 million of funding

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The Federal Government intends to further support low-income households in saving electricity and heat by providing advice and grants, for instance, for energy-saving fridges. To this end, the Stromspar-Check (“energy-saving check”) project has been extended until spring 2026 and expanded in scope with funding of around €39 million from the National Climate Initiative and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The new project will begin in April 2023 and focus even more on reducing the amount of energy consumed for heating. Advisors will receive special training for this purpose in over 150 participating cities and rural districts.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said, “Through Stromspar-Checks, people on low incomes will receive very important advisory services free of charge. This will be very helpful, especially in times like these. The Stromspar-Check is of course only one component alongside the improvements to citizens’ benefit, heating cost subsidies, housing benefits and the general price caps. But it is an important one: from the comfort of their homes, consumers will receive specific money saving tips and – free of charge – resources to help them save energy, such as LED light bulbs, water-saving showerheads, extension cables with individual switches, and sealing material to save heat. In this way, small but effective measures can be implemented immediately. This helps to quickly save energy.”

The project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is aimed in particular at people with low incomes, for example citizens’ benefit recipients, low-income earners and people on low pensions.

The programme is free of charge for participants. They can additionally receive grants of €100 to €200 to replace old fridges and freezers that consume high levels of electricity with more modern devices. Households that do not have access to nearby support can receive advice online or over the phone.

The project is supported by Caritas Deutschland and the Federal Association of Energy and Climate Action in Germany. The Stromspar-Check project has been running since December 2008.

More information on the National Climate Initiative can be found at www.klimaschutz.de
Further information can be found online at www.stromspar-check.de.