‘Communication, policy and technology must come together.’

Jeffrey Moltmaker is currently pursuing the Master Energy for Society at Hanze University of Applied Sciences and working on his master’s thesis. While studying for his degree, he took part in the Field Lab, a practice-based project where he collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to address societal challenges. His main focus was a project with Fixpigade, an organisation that supports student housing and helps people who are dealing with energy poverty.

'The Field Lab consisted of four projects, divided over four groups. Our project focused on Fixpigade, an organisation that visits people experiencing energy poverty. They look at windows, draught strips and other small measures that can have a big effect on the energy bill. I found this project important, because you are doing something that has real impact. People genuinely benefit from it, and you are not only working for a grade.

During the project, I focused mainly on creating structure and clarity, as well as developing the policy framework. I used my skills in communication, presenting, and organising information clearly, combined with my background in social issues.

The project had a broad social theme and was multifunctional. It touched on energy, health, mental health and social interaction. People were able to meet each other at workshops, which strengthened social cohesion. Our goal was to develop an integrated approach that municipalities did not yet have, and that made the project unique.

With the guidance of Hanze lecturers, we received coaching and feedback. We had one lecturer who supervised us weekly, and we also received input from other lecturers from spatial, legal and policy perspectives. It was sometimes chaotic, but I learnt a great deal from it.

During the project I learnt how important collaboration is and how big your impact can be when you make use of everyone’s talent. Communication, policy and technology must come together in order to achieve results. What I took from it is that you can actually make a real difference, and that motivates me to contribute to the energy transition in my future career as well.'