ERSE and GNR carry out awareness-raising campaign aimed at senior citizens
25/10/2022
On 21 October, ERSE – the Energy Services Regulatory Authority – participated in the “Senior Census” operation organised by the National Republican Guard (GNR) and held in the Abrunheira Pensioners’s Association, in Sintra, by providing a booklet to inform senior citizens about aspects related to electricity and gas supply.
The awareness-raising campaign was organised by the Crime Prevention and Community Policing Department of the Sintra Territorial Unit, as part of the cooperation protocol concluded between ERSE and GNR, with the aim of making senior citizens aware of personal safety issues, as well as the precautions to be taken when contracting electricity and natural gas.
The action helped to clear up doubts on various topics in the energy sector, such as precautions to be taken when signing energy contracts, the legal deadlines for terminating contracts in the event of a change of mind, switching suppliers, the use of simulators and the difference between the regulated and liberalised markets. The distribution and supply of electricity and the matching of contracted power to consumption profiles were also discussed by the audience.
GNR’s “Senior Census” operation takes place during the month of October, covering the whole of Portugal and targeting a total of more than 44 thousand senior citizens. ERSE is participating in this community policing operation with the publication of a leaflet containing a range of advice on electricity and gas, as well as GNR’s tips on safety behaviour for senior citizens.
The cooperation between ERSE and GNR started in 2021 with an online training action that brought together around 120 military officers, followed by the participation, at the end of last year, in one of the initiatives of the “Safe School” programme with the 6th grade students of the EB 2/3 Sarrazola School, Colares, Sintra. More recently, as part of the “Senior Census” operation, ERSE organised a new training session, attended by around 100 military officers from 85 crime prevention and community policing units, with the aim of providing GNR staff with technical knowledge of the energy sector, particularly on issues of greater relevance to senior citizens, such as unfair commercial practices, distance and door-to-door sales or attempted fraud.
Take a look at the booklet.
