We contacted all the Ons Stop Shops for Energy Efficiency (GUEE) to get clarification on how energy vulnerable people can install their photovoltaic panels and batteries using the REPowerEU i4 phase 1, component A program. The deadline was tight and the unknowns and fears numerous.
On 24 February, we sent the same message with the same questions to all 42 entities established from 1 March 2024. We received 9 replies; of the remaining 33 county GUEEs, only 11 opened the message. The representative of one GUEE not only did not respond in any way, but decided to unsubscribe from Energynomics messages! Finally, there are three counties where the GUEE e-mail address does not work.
Formal-bureaucratic approach
Out of the 9 answers we received, 4 are a model of bureaucratic approach, in fact non-answers that send us through links to legislation and guidelines, to other public bodies involved in the programme (MIPE, MFE, Government, etc). The responding officials do not sign or remain generally anonymous, (e.g. “GUEE Team”). An extreme example is the electronic response with no content in the body of the message, but with 22 attachments – guidelines and annexes available elsewhere, mainly on the PNRR programme page!
We appreciated these responses because the representatives of the 9 GUEE choose and formally manage to fulfil their obligations in their job descriptions. At the same time, it is clear that this approach brings nothing new, does not really help anyone – it is or can only be a first step in operationalising the One Stop Shop and making it a dialogue partner and a useful guide for citizens.
Head in the sand approach and ghosting
There were 11 situations where county GUEE representatives saw the Energynomics message but decided not to respond. Most likely, they are those county councils where the person assigned this new task is responsible enough to check the Inbox, but not competent enough or bold enough to formulate even a formal-birocratic message. We do, however, have an example of a brave civil servant – the one who decided to unsubscribe from Energynomics messages in order to avoid receiving such questions in the future!
In communication, ghosting refers to the practice of abruptly breaking off all contact with someone, usually in a relationship, without any explanation or warning. The term has become widely used in digital communication, especially in social media, dating apps and professional environments.
In a professional or business context, ghosting can occur when a person stops responding to emails, phone calls or meeting invitations without giving a reason, making it difficult to follow up on important issues or decisions.
It is a ghosting practice that may work with most of the legitimate beneficiaries of the public services that a one-stop-shop for energy efficiency should provide, but it cannot work with journalists or persistent citizens who choose to demand their rights.
22 GUEEs which practically doesn’t exist
Most of the GUEE did not send an acknowledgement message from Energynomics, did not reply and did not even open our message. They can be considered de facto completely non-functional. In these cases, we do not know whether or not the GUEE has been appointed or if, having been appointed, they are not doing their job.
These figures alone are enough to illustrate the unsatisfactory state of the OSS for Energy Efficiency one year after their creation. Significant difficulties in funding and staffing these entities were already anticipated, which is part of the explanation for the current state of affairs.
Another part of the explanation is the origin of these entities. RePowerEU, a newer component of the NRRP, envisaged 2 reforms and 7 investments. One of the reforms, a so-called key measure, was the setting up of One Stop Shops (OSS) to provide energy counselling services in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy production for prosumers. The idea was to provide citizens with a non-bureaucratic approach, with answers that made sense to individual or collective home owners, owners’ or tenants’ associations, tenants, and interested associations/communities, via public authorities’ websites or on request at their premises or by telephone.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY ONE-STOP-SHOPS (GUEE) have been set up by law with effect from 1 March 2024.
LIST OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY ONE-STOP-SHOPS
It is the statutory task of the GUEE to organise and maintain a database with information on funding programmes for energy renovation of buildings and the implementation of renewable energy installations, the steps required to renovate a house, the specialists who are entitled by law to carry out energy audits and provide other types of technical expertise. In most cases there is not even an online page or a dedicated section on the County Council’s website where we can find relevant, up-to-date information specific to the administrative area in question. Tasks are also specified for the National Institute of Administration, the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration and the County Councils. It is not at all clear whether these entities have done their job, from allocating adequate funding and providing the necessary knowledge and training, to centrally managing the development of this new concept at local level.
Since their inception, these GUEE are only now, with the i4 investment, having their first stringent obligations and first serious interactions with the beneficiary public (including the press). The first segment of the public is the vulnerable, rather uninformed and less vocal. However, unused funds in Phase 1, Component A, will be reallocated to Phase II, which targets individuals (general population) who do not own either of the two systems and are not necessarily energy vulnerable, but rather informed and financially willing to engage in such a project. It is expected that the pace of professionalisation and operationalisation of the OSSs for Energy Efficiency will accelerate.
There are 5 GUEE: Alba, Brasov, Bucharest, Galati, Teleorman
Thanks to the representatives of the 9 Energy Efficiency Points of Single Contact Points who responded to Energynomics‘ requests for clarification! They have helped us to put together a clearer story for potential beneficiaries of public subsidies for vulnerable households: “Monday, 5pm – deadline for submission of applications for photovoltaics and batteries in vulnerable households”.
In the case of the messages received from GUEE Alba, GUEE Brașov, GUEE Bucharest, GUEE Galați, GUEE Teleorman, the answers received were convergent in terms of the interpretation of the guide and the annexes. We noted a real effort to respond as precisely as possible to the questions submitted by Energynomics as they were formulated. This effort suggests the existence of a responsible person who tries to provide “advice and support” tailored to the request. It’s a better starting point than any of the other 37 county OSSs for Energy Efficiency!
