Lower energy invoices for family with four children from Moldova, who benefited from EcoVoucher Programme

A family with four children from the village of Popeasca, south-eastern Stefan Voda district, has managed to reduce its energy invoice and improve the living conditions after benefiting from the EcoVoucher Programme, through which they received a voucher worth six thousand lei that was used to purchase a new, energy-efficient washing machine.

For the Mindru family, the washing machine is one of the indispensable household appliances. With four children, clothes are washed daily, and the operation of this appliance directly influences the organization of household chores. The old washing machine had high electricity consumption, because of its low energy efficiency class and no longer met the needs of the large family.

At the same time, when the old washing machine broke down, replacing it became a necessity, but the investment was postponed for financial reasons. The EcoVoucher Programme, financially supported by the European Union, made it possible to purchase a new and energy-efficient model, thanks to which the family’s electricity invoices have visibly decreased.

“The old washing machine suddenly broke down. I thought about calling a repairman to fix it. In a large family, postponing such an expense is difficult. We wash very often. The children change clothes in the morning, in the evening, they go out to play and come back again with clothes to wash,” says Ina Mindru.

Around the same time, Ina Mindru received an SMS informing her that she was the beneficiary of a 6,000-lei voucher under the EcoVoucher Programme.

“I didn’t believe it. I thought maybe it wasn’t true. To dispel any doubts, I called the programme’s Green Line indicated in the SMS. They confirmed that I indeed had a voucher and that with this voucher I could buy a refrigerator or a washing machine. I chose the washing machine, which had just broken down,” the beneficiary said.

After confirming the availability of the voucher, Ina Mindru went to a partner store of the programme to choose a new washing machine. The financial support provided through the EcoVoucher Programme covered most of the cost of the appliance, and the family contributed only the price difference. “We added another two thousand lei and bought an economical washing machine, but with a larger capacity,” she says.

The purchase and delivery procedure was simple. After filling out the necessary documents, the new washing machine was delivered to their home, and the old one was taken away for recycling. “I wrote a request for them to bring it home and take the old one. And that’s exactly what they did. Quickly, very quickly,” the beneficiary says.

The Household Appliance Voucher Programme is developed by the government of Moldova, with financial support from the European Union. The current edition is implemented by the National Center for Sustainable Energy within the project, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Moldova (E4M), implemented by GIZ (German Agency for International Development) together with the government of Moldova, financed by the Government of Germany and co-financed by the European Union, Norway, and Denmark. The current edition of the Programme is financed by the European Union.