These tools were presented on Wednesday at the final conference of the Climate Ready Barcelona project and will contribute to climate change adaptation and the mitigation of its effects in the city.
Up to 25 people attended the final conference of the Climate Ready Barcelona project on Wednesday, 11 June at La Fàbrica del Sol, while another twenty followed it online. The event, part of the European Sustainable Energy Week, was opened by the Commissioner for Social Rights of the Barcelona City Council, Sònia Fuertes, and served to present the main results of the project after two years of work: the web app La Meva Energia, the Climate Vulnerability Map of Barcelona, and several proposals to improve adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts in the city.
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La Meva Energia (My Energy App)
La Meva Energia is a web app that facilitates smoother communication between the Energy Advice Points (PAE) and people experiencing energy poverty. It enables quicker and more efficient management of paperwork and documentation and helps democratise access to energy rights. Specifically, the app’s new features allow users to: receive updates on their procedures, upload and download documents and information, book appointments with the PAE, ask questions about the status of their requests, access and edit their personal and household information.
Moreover, anyone can register with La Meva Energia to check their electricity, water, and gas bills, view their energy consumption clearly and simply, and receive tailored tips to adjust their habits and save energy.
“La Meva Energia aims to empower citizens and guarantee access to energy rights and clear information about them.”
Climate Vulnerability Map of Barcelona
The Climate Vulnerability Map combines real open data and artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate the heating and cooling demand of all residential buildings in the city. It creates a thermal model that predicts the external thermal conditions of each building. It also identifies and maps climate shelters, shaded areas, energy consumption, and income levels, while helping to forecast specific weather conditions. This enables the planning of medium-term building interventions and the protection of residents in areas most affected by climate change in the city.
The map is an example of how new technologies and AI can be used to better detect community needs and optimise institutional and community action. It also supports public services, especially the Energy Advice Points (PAE) of Barcelona.
“It is a practical tool for policymakers and technical teams to explore climate vulnerability.”
Proposals for a More Resilient Barcelona
After several exchange sessions with policymakers and technical staff from the Barcelona City Council, research centres, and community and social organisations — and based on the diagnosis provided by the Climate Vulnerability Map — the Climate Ready project has developed a set of proposals:
- Develop a comprehensive neighbourhood-level temperature dataset integrating socio-economic and environmental variables to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and ensure fairer distribution of energy resources.
- Design an energy rehabilitation action plan based on climate vulnerability analysis, tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable communities to maximise resilience, investment efficiency, and equity in the energy transition.
- Facilitate access to energy rehabilitation funding by simplifying and speeding up access, ensuring a fair, effective, and accessible transition for everyone.
- Promote accessibility, social participation, and the expansion of the climate shelter network.
- Strengthen intersectoral coordination among weather services, public health, and local governments to raise awareness and encourage public engagement in climate risk prevention.
“These recommendations aim to promote a just, inclusive, and resilient energy transition from an intersectional perspective.”
All the tools developed as part of the project are open-source, as a commitment to technological sovereignty for citizens, and are scalable and replicable in other cities with the goal of guaranteeing the rights of all residents.
About Climate Ready Barcelona
Climate Ready Barcelona is a project aimed at supporting citizens and public institutions in the city in anticipating and adapting to the effects of climate change and the related energy crisis.
It is funded by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, with support from Google, and includes the following partner organisations: Ecoserveis Cultura Energètica, Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament – Grup ABD, CIMNE, BITGenoma, and the Barcelona City Council.
