“Warm Home measures directly improve someone’s life”
Carla is an energy coach. She comes to the homes of Zwolle residents who sign up with Warm Home because they have requested help to save energy.
“Warm Home helps with energy-saving measures that directly improve someone’s life,” says Carla. Providing help where it’s needed most is what Carla enjoys doing. “That’s my thing. Sometimes it’s tough, but I’m glad I have a good home life so I have time for this.”
Warm Home offers practical help
In daily life, Carla is a tour guide and works in healthcare. When she’s not traveling, Carla does about five Warm Home visits a week. “It’s a very practical project: you identify what is needed and it gets done. It’s small things that produce immediate results. Draught strips and a new energy-efficient refrigerator immediately improve someone’s life. They don’t have to go through long procedures to do this, it doesn’t go over twenty disks or have to submit things in quadruplicate. It makes an immediate difference and that gives me great satisfaction.”
In addition to energy coach visits, Carla also provides education, such as at neighborhood meetings or to women’s groups with diverse cultures. “I help them with tips on how to save energy at home. I look along and answer questions. For example, they see that there is a crack at the window, they have heard about draft strips, but how does that work and where do you get them? I like to help with practical questions like that.”
Finally someone is listening
Through her work in healthcare, Carla knows how to deal with people. That comes in handy because in addition to lowering energy bills, the work has a social side. The energy coach visits can be intense. “Sometimes you ring the doorbell and you can already see on the outside, here’s not good. It happens that people have a huge mess in their homes.” She sees a lot of poverty and loneliness. Because of privacy, she doesn’t want to say too much about it. “You have to be strong in your shoes. People can be panicked and very happy that someone is finally listening. Or they’re relieved that you’re a woman. If necessary, I make sure the handyman is also a woman. And if people want, they can get other help after Warm Home.” After a visit, Carla sometimes cycles past the Warm Home office. She likes the fact that she can tell her story there.
That Warm Home is completely free is not always understood. “Do I just get a new refrigerator with a connection? Don’t we have to pay for that? How can that be free? Isn’t there a catch? Then I explain that the municipality has made money available for this because they want to help people save energy,” says Carla.
Having something to spare for another
Carla visits about five addresses a week. Other energy coaches do, say, two calls a week; you can choose that. Carla only does calls for Warm Home. “Households that do not meet the conditions for Warm Home can also apply for a free energy coach. They get advice, but not a free handyman or white goods. I feel less needed there,” says Carla. “They sometimes have more technical questions about a heat pump or solar panels. That’s also important, but that’s what other energy coaches find more enjoyable addresses to visit.”
Why Carla joins this work? “I’ve been in counseling all my life. I can hear many things and often know ways to do something with them. I’ve always volunteered, even with a full-time job. Maybe it’s my Reformed roots that you have to do something for someone else. And we also have to get serious about sustainability, because we have to be economical with the world. But what I like best is that people are very happy with the help. Not only with radiator foil or a draft strip, but also because they are taken seriously.”
Become an energy coach at Warm Thuis
Do you enjoy getting in touch with different Zwolle residents and helping them make their homes more sustainable? Then sign up as a volunteer and get started as an energy coach!