The Palestine Green Building Council conducted a home-retrofit pilot project in the Qaddura refugee camp of Ramallah, to enhance families’ living conditions and promote climate resilience, environmental responsibility, and gender inclusivity. Refugee households were supported to take control over their energy consumption and reduce their utility bills. This involved improving insulation, replacing old water heaters and refrigerators with solar systems, and existing meters with pre-paid ones, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability. The technical team displayed strong gender diversity with 68 % women who played a pivotal role for the success of this project.

 

Climate impact
	Reduction of 11.5 tons of CO2 emissions by replacing fossil fuels in energy supply.
	Home insulation measures enhance inhabitants’ resilience to extreme temperatures.
	Improves energy efficiency for sustainable households.
Gender impact
	Women benefit from safer, healthier living conditions in their homes.
	Targeted women-led households and empowered female energy experts.
	Women gained skills on safe energy and toxic chemicals management within their home.
Scalability/replicability
	Easily replicable pilot program for other refugee camps or suburbs.
	Financial savings reached thanks to house retrofitting: 30% lower bills.
	Retrofit interventions are based on comprehensive needs assessments and technical evaluations.