In Barcelona, a Little Energy Advice Goes a Long Way

In Barcelona, a Little Energy Advice Goes a Long Way

In Barcelona, a Little Energy Advice Goes a Long Way Back in 2018, Roman Tresens Gallard received the most dreaded surprise, the kind that happens only when you open up your energy bills. The monthly rate in his new apartment, the letter revealed, was now rising to over €100 a month. “It was scandalous,” says Gallard, scarcely masking his fury over the phone. Living alone in a social housing apartment in Barcelona, Gallard, now 74, was in an extremely precarious position. He had no family to support him. His income was a minimal state pension. The bills — which, according to Gallard, were higher than those of families of three or four people that he knew — could have been catastrophic. In a wave of panic, unable to pay, Gallard went to the city’s social services for help. It was there that he was told about a new scheme in the city of 5.7 million people that was intended to support citizens in exactly his position: Energy Advising Points . Thirteen Energy Advising Points have been set up ac…