BEACON project (2026–2029)
BEACON—Building EU Energy Poverty Action through Coordinated National Observatories examines mechanisms for measuring and monitoring energy poverty.
The aim of the BEACON EU project, BEACON—Building EU Energy Poverty Action through Coordinated National Observatories (LIFE-2025-CET-ENERPOV), is to examine what kinds of mechanisms for measuring and monitoring energy poverty should be established in Finland and in two other EU countries (Cyprus and North Macedonia) where energy poverty is not yet systematically monitored. The project’s purpose is to support Member States in implementing the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, addressing future energy and heating challenges, and ensuring a just energy transition. The project also includes three countries (Austria, France, and Ireland) where energy poverty is already monitored systematically. Through, among other things, visits and research, the project explores what can be learned from the practices of these countries.
In Finland, BEACON’s activities focus on workshops, peer learning, and a mentoring program. Coordinated by Aalto University’s Department of Design, the project will organize a series of workshops to discuss which phenomena linked to energy poverty in the Finnish context would be most sensible and valuable to focus on and investigate, and what opportunities we have nationally to monitor these phenomena. Energy poverty is connected to housing, energy prices, energy markets, citizens’ livelihoods and ability to pay, and many other factors. In a sense, energy poverty—its causes and consequences—is already being monitored and studied in many ways (e.g., by Statistics Finland, ministries, Kela, wellbeing services counties, research institutes, and NGOs). The aim of the workshop process is to consider how monitoring energy poverty in Finland—taking Nordic specificities into account—would be most reasonable and appropriate to implement.
Team Leader:
Sini Numminen
Academy Research Fellow
Postdoctoral Researcher:
Jenni Viitala
jenni.e.viitala@aalto.fi
+358505744786