There are 11 organisations taking part in the STEP project.
Nine of them are established consumer organisations which provide advice to consumers at national level.
The other two organisations are a European umbrella network of consumer organisations (BEUC) and a UK-based trade association from across the industrial, commercial and public sectors working on energy efficiency and decentralised energy (ADE Research).
ADE represents the energy efficiency and decentralised energy sectors in the UK.
More hereBEUC, The European Consumer Organisation, is a Brussels-based federation of 45 independent national consumer organisations from 32 European countries.
More hereBNAAC is an independent NGO which protects Bulgarian consumer interests.
More hereCitizens Advice provides free, independent, impartial, confidential advice on a range of legal and consumer issues across the UK.
More hereThe Cyprus Consumers Association is an independent, non-governmental consumer organisation.
More hereDECO is a non-profit organisation to promote the interests and rights of consumers and represents them in policy-making at various levels.
More heredTest is a non-profit organisation which provides consumer services via a testing magazine, brochures and a phone hotline.
More hereFederacja Konsumentów is a Polish consumer association which provides free-of-charge legal counselling and assistance to consumers through regional branches.
More hereLPIAA was founded to protect consumers with rights established in national and EU legislation.
More hereThe Alliance of Lithuanian Consumer Organisations (LVOA) unites several consumer organisations active in Lithuania.
More hereSOS is a Slovak consumer organisation which provides advice to consumers and dispute resolution for consumer complaints.
More here
ADE represents the energy efficiency and decentralised energy sectors in the UK. The organisation works to enable the UK to become energy efficient, providing warm and healthy homes and delivering a secure energy future through a vibrant low carbon economy.
ADE is participating in the project through its research department, which has a reputation for high quality work in the areas of policy research and evaluation.
BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation, is a Brussels-based federation of 45 independent national consumer organisations from 32 European countries. BEUC was created to promote, defend and represent the interests of European consumers in the elaboration and implementation of EU policies.
BEUC has dedicated policy and communications teams advocating for a regulatory environment which protects consumers in energy markets across Europe.
BNAAC is an independent NGO which protects Bulgarian consumer interests. It has 3 branches and 9 information and advice centres in the cities of Bulgaria. The organisation provides information and assistance to consumers, including through its magazine ACTIVE CONSUMERS, lobbies policy-makers so that legislation represents consumers’ interests and conducts comparative testing.
BNAAC has almost two decades of experience in providing trainings for experts and stakeholders in consumer protection and sustainable energy.
Citizens Advice provides free, independent, impartial, confidential advice on a range of legal and consumer issues across the UK. It also improves policies and practices that affect people’s lives. Citizens Advice is a network of nearly 400 independent advice centres from over 2,900 locations in England and Wales. In 2017, Citizens Advice helped 2.7 million people with 6.3 million issues.
On energy, the organisation provided face-to-face energy advice to 41,000 clients and reached a further 100,000 consumers by training frontline workers to provide energy advice. This project will be delivered by three leading local Citizens Advice centres – Reading, Manchester and Coventry – with support from National Citizens Advice.
The Cyprus Consumers Association is an independent, non-governmental consumer organisation. Since its inception in 1973, the association plays an important role in supporting Cypriot consumers and ensuring that the consumer voice is heard at all levels of the political system. The organisation provides information to consumers about their rights, handles consumer complaints coming from the market and issues its own quarterly magazine O Katanalotis.
CCA runs a school for adults since 1990. Classes cover a range of consumer issues and rights, are weekly and free of charge.
DECO is a non-profit organisation to promote the interests and rights of consumers and represents them in policy-making at various levels.
It has 380,000 members and 7 regional delegations. It provides information to consumers regarding products and services in the market through periodical publications such as Proteste (with 385,000 readers).
It also organises professional training so that judges or company directors can respect consumer rights and promotes consumer education in schools and for adults.
dTest is a non-profit organisation which provides consumer services via a testing magazine, brochures and a phone hotline. Through its magazine, dTest publishes product tests, promotes consumer rights and fights for their improvements. dTest has also developed comparative tools and calculators which simplify the selection of products and services for consumers.
dTest has launched three successful collective energy switching campaigns in 2016, 2017 and 2018. dTest already has a long-term cooperation with 500 municipalities and 150 practitioners relating to consumer advisory services.
Federacja Konsumentów is a Polish consumer association which provides free-of-charge legal counselling and assistance to consumers through regional branches.
FK also lobbies policy-makers so that laws and dispute procedures are as consumer-friendly as possible. FK also organises educational activities for different groups, including children, young people or the elderly.
FK is already participating in various EU-funded projects, one of which is ASSIST and covers energy efficiency. It has a lot of experience in providing assistance to consumers on energy topics.
LPIAA was founded to protect consumers with rights established in national and EU legislation. LPIAA informs consumers of their rights and is a partner of the Alternative dispute resolution scheme in Latvia. At regional level, LPIAA promotes educational and informational activities on energy policy.
It provides advice on energy to consumers and promotes consumers’ interests through free consultations. It has extensive experience with developing and implementing EU or national funding projects in general and has already developed projects specifically focused on energy issues.
The Alliance of Lithuanian Consumer Organisations (LVOA) unites several consumer organisations active in Lithuania. LVOA participates in both national and European debate levels on various consumer related issues.
LVOA is a recognised opinion-maker on consumer related issues for the mass media in Lithuania and has considerable standing among national policy makers.
SOS is a Slovak consumer organisation which provides advice to consumers and dispute resolution for consumer complaints. It runs four consumer advice centres in Slovakia, providing professional counselling and practical help particularly to vulnerable people.
S.O.S. also organises educational seminars and trainings for consumers, traders and SMEs and has a long history in publishing manuals and publications for consumers, traders and other groups.
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Contact usThe STEP project ended in May 2022. If you would like to learn about our sister project, visit the CLEAR-X website and click here to subscribe to the CLEAR-X newsletter.
