The project is implemented in the period 01.11.2022 – 30.04.2025 by a consortium with the lead organization Initiative for Housing in Eastern Europe (IWO) and partners from Habitat Bulgaria, Lithuanian Consumers Alliance (LCA), Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), German Solar Energy Company (DGS) and Habitat Macedonia. The project's primary objective is to address and overcome barriers hindering the adoption by households in multi-family residential buildings of renewable energy, with a specific focus on solar energy.

The project advocates for the implementation of tools that facilitate and incentivize households to adopt plug-in PV systems. This includes the introduction of net metering for energy production and consumption on an annual basis. The project aims to contribute to the European Union's ambitious targets of achieving a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and attaining carbon neutrality by 2050. Its importance is evident in the current context, where soaring energy prices put an emphasis on utilizing renewable energy for electricity generation, even at the household level.

1. The Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO)

The Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO) is an NGO bringing together private and public partners who aim at a market-oriented and ecological development of the housing and construction economy in Central & Eastern Europe. Involving relevant stakeholders and experts from various related fields, IWO pursues an integrated approach. Coordinating their comprehensive experiences and solutions regarding business management, technology, energy and financing, IWO aims at sustainable know-how transfer and exchange. Joint activities of IWO, its members and partners contribute to the development and implementation of projects and programmes within the housing and building economy in Central & Eastern European countries.

Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe's major targets are:

● Initiating and participating in the development and implementation of replicable model and pilot projects in housing, building and sustainable urban development in Central & Eastern Europe;

● Participating in the conception and preparation of housing projects and programmes on the basis of pilot projects, targeting a broad and sustainable development of the housing economy in Central & Eastern Europe, especially with regard to energy savings and reducing carbon emissions;

● Assisting institution building and legislation processes aiming at market-oriented structures;

● Advanced training and education programmes within the housing and building sector.

Founded in 2001, IWO's Berlin office fosters contacts with national organisations and institutions, e.g. Federal Ministries, financing organisations of the Federal Government (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau KfW, Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft DEG, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ) and organisations focussing on Central & Eastern Europe, e.g. Ost-Ausschuss der deutschen Wirtschaft OA.

IWO has extensive expertise in energy efficient renovations in multi-family buildings in Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia as well experience in supporting municipalities in developing neighbourhood plans.

In the context of SUNRISE, IWO, will take over the coordination of the whole project and ensure the proper implementation of set activities and reaching the raised goals in the project SUNRISE.

Read more: http://www.iwoev.org

2. Habitat Bulgaria (Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria)

Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria is a public benefit foundation that works to improve housing conditions and eliminate housing poverty, and develops its activities in four key strategic areas – affordable housing construction, housing improvement financing, development of innovative products and market-based tools to improve the accessibility of housing improvements, participation in housing policies, strategic and programmatic documents.

Since launching its activity in 2001, Habitat Bulgaria has been promoting the idea of ​​adequate housing as a basic human right and has been working to activate the public’s awareness towards eliminating housing poverty.

Following the ideas and principles of partnership, community cooperation, volunteering, concern and respect for the needs of others, Habitat Bulgaria has so far built 12 new homes with the help of over 650 volunteers from more than 50 countries worldwide has supported more than 6,000 partner families in 24 settlements in the country.

Habitat Bulgaria initiated the establishment and is the coordinator of the National Coalition for Improving Housing Conditions in Bulgaria, “Decent Home”. The Coalition is an informal association of organizations led by a common desire, position and ideas for providing better housing conditions in Bulgaria. It was established in January 2014 and since then it has been actively working and recruiting new supporters and members. The number of Coalition members at the moment is 36, including non-governmental organizations, industry and professional chambers and associations, leading companies in the construction sector, municipal administrations.

Habitat Bulgaria is part of the large network of Habitat for Humanity, a global non-governmental organization operating in all 50 states in the US, as well as in over 70 countries worldwide.

Read more: https://hfh.bg

3. Lithuanian Consumers Alliance (LCA)

Established in 2012, Lithuanian Consumers Alliance (previously – Alliance of Lithuanian Consumer Organisations) groups together 10 consumer associations. Members of the Alliance are active consumer organisations, such as the Lithuanian Consumer Association, Lithuanian Consumer Union, Consumer Rights Protection Centre, Lithuanian Association of Bank Customers, the Lithuanian Citizens Advice Union, Association “For Honesty in Banking“, Consumer Rights Institute, FiKVA – the Finance and Credit Management Association, Insurance Policyholders Association, APGIDA – the Personal Privacy Protection and Data Security Association. Since 2013, the Lithuanian Consumers Alliance has been a member of BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation. The main goal of the Alliance is to represent Lithuanian consumers’ interests at both at national and international levels in governmental institutions, businesses and non-governmental sectors.

Read more: https://vartotojualjansas.lt

4. Nadacia Habitat for Humanity International (Nadacia HFHI)

Nadacia Habitat for Humanity International (Nadacia HFHI) is a regional office for Europe and the Middle East of an international NGO, with seat in Bratislava, Slovakia. Nadacia HFHI is a global, non-profit housing organisation with over 40 years of experience with a mission to empower people in the world's poorest communities to overcome the chronic lack of decent, affordable housing. Nadacia HFHI has been involved in the work of residential energy efficiency in Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans and Baltics since 2010. In addition to residential energy and poverty, Nadacia HFHI in Europe and neighbouring countries engages in the following areas: advocacy and housing rights, housing micro-finance, skills training and financial literacy and housing of vulnerable groups.

Read more: https://www.habitat.org/emea

5. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie (DGS)

Founded in 1975 the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie” (DGS) is the oldest Solar NGO in Germany. Since 1989 DGS is also the German Section of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). DGS is a registered non-profit organisation with approximately 3000 members.

The main objective of DGS is to achieve an energy supply based on renewable energy in Germany. But the focus is not only Germany. Thus DGS supports the introduction of new sustainable energy conversion techniques and energy-saving technologies as well as environmental and climate protection measures worldwide.

Consequently a major aspect of the work is education and spreading information about renewable energy. DGS is an accepted consumer protection organisation and active in various standardisation groups. Therefor DGS is the representative for renewable energy in the German Federation of Technical and Scientific Organisations (DVT). The members of DVT (amongst others DIN, TÜV, VDE, VDI, DGS) stand for the independence of technical rules and regulations.

In addition to awareness building and public relations as well as consulting for local authorities, we started around the year 2000 to offer technical services and consulting in the field of solar energy. Since then the service portfolio has been widely increased. Today our experts offer a wide range of services including technical due diligences, plant acceptances, yield studies, technical consulting and many more. These services are provided worldwide.

We founded the Berlin SolarSchool in 1996 in cooperation with the local chamber of crafts. With increasing popularity additional SolarSchools have been founded throughout Germany and worldwide.

Our courses are designed for engineers, architects and craftsmen looking for state of the art training in the field of renewable energy. The SolarSchool Berlin alone has trained more than 7,000 people. DGS Berlin has founded SolarSchools in other countries in cooperation with development agencies and local partners. In addition to train the trainer courses we initiated the technical infrastructure for schools in Chile, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Macedonia, Turkey, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Read more: https://www.dgs-berlin.de

6. Habitat Macedonia (Habitat for Humanity Macedonia)

Habitat Macedonia is a social enterprise of an NGO and two LLCs affiliated with the global non-for-profit poverty housing network Habitat for Humanity and dedicated to providing simple, decent and affordable housing solutions for those living in poverty. Further to creating synergy in addressing the housing needs of the poor through construction and microfinance, the portfolio brings volunteer, capacity development, community development and advocacy components together, raising that way wide public awareness about the transformational ability of the decent housing.

Read more: http://www.habitat.org.mk

European Climate Initiative (EUKI)

EUKI is an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to strengthen cooperation in the EU in the further development and implementation of its ambitious climate policy. Through EUKI, climate actors can learn from each other; the initiative supports inner-European dialogue, the exchange of good practice, awareness raising, and knowledge transfer.

Read more: https://www.euki.de