Red Cross and Endesa volunteers closed the second edition of the Energy Volunteering program in Lanzarote last week with an event held at the Punta Grande plant, in which they evaluated the results of the project. In total, 22 volunteers participated in the program, 13 of them Endesa employees in Lanzarote, and 256 families in vulnerable situations in Arrecife and Teguise were assisted. After completing the training period that qualified them to work with families, the volunteers were divided among the different modalities contemplated by the program: face-to-face advice with home visits, telephone advice or conducting workshops on electricity bills and social bonuses.
In this edition, the volunteers visited 16 homes to locate electrical risk points in the installation and, with the help of an electrician, proceeded to rehabilitate five of them in order to guarantee safety. In addition, in two homes the refrigerator was changed for one with an A+++ label, achieving more efficient energy consumption.
Likewise, more than 250 families were attended in the assemblies, giving workshops to 120 of them, in which they were helped to interpret the electricity bill and were advised on potential savings. At the end of the workshops, each of the attendees was given a micro-efficiency kit that included light bulbs, weather strips, power strips and other immediately installed elements that help reduce the energy consumption of the home. On the other hand, 27 people were advised by telephone, who were given guidance on habits to reduce their energy consumption and also on the procedure to apply for the electricity social bonus.
At the national level, Endesa's Energy Volunteering program, promoted in collaboration with the Red Cross and Ecodes, has acted in several territories where Endesa operates, including Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Tenerife, as well as Barcelona, Seville, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Huesca, Badajoz, Lérida, Gerona and Mallorca. In total, the initiative has helped 2,636 families in vulnerable situations, who have been attended by 306 volunteers, of which 180 are Endesa employees.
Arrecife and Teguise are part of the Creating Shared Value program that Endesa is carrying out in several municipalities of the Canary Islands with the aim of maximizing value for the community in the environment where it develops its operations. Through the General Directorate of Sustainability, Endesa has launched this plan with several lines of action that include employability and training programs, Endesa Educa sessions for schoolchildren in the municipality, energy saving workshops or programs to improve access to energy for vulnerable groups.
