Horizon Magazine · Health

Europe's Housing Crisis Linked to Energy Poverty, Research Shows

Research highlights a growing connection between housing affordability and energy poverty across Europe, suggesting these issues should be addressed together. An aging, inefficient housing stock exacerbates the problem, impacting not only rent and mortgage costs but also heating and cooling expenses.

Professor Michael Janoschka is leading an international team investigating how to tackle housing affordability and energy poverty concurrently. He notes that Europe's housing stock is often old and energy-inefficient, making heating and cooling significant costs beyond rent or mortgage payments. This dual crisis affects nearly 10% of EU citizens facing housing cost overburden and a similar percentage unable to adequately heat their homes.

The EU-funded PREFIGURE project involves researchers, municipalities, and housing organizations from eight European countries. They are examining 16 local initiatives focused on providing affordable and energy-efficient housing for vulnerable groups. The project aims to understand how local solutions can be adapted and scaled through 'learning communities' involving residents, officials, and researchers.

Examples of successful initiatives include Karlsruhe, Germany's cooperative housing program, which has reduced homelessness by offering renovation subsidies and access to vacant, energy-efficient homes. In Thessaloniki, Greece, the social rental agency Housing Thessaloniki is renovating vacant homes for vulnerable communities, offering long-term rental contracts and energy upgrades. Barcelona's WikiHousing project engages young people in designing and managing energy-efficient public housing, creating an open-source model for other cities.

Another research team, coordinated by Dr. Anne Kantel, is exploring how housing inequality is influenced by energy costs, market forces, policy, and climate change through the EU-funded HouseInc project. Their case studies with marginalized groups in Eastern Europe reveal structural discrimination, lack of official residency, and inadequate energy efficiency in homes, leading to high heating and cooling costs.

Both research teams conclude that making homes greener does not automatically ensure fairness. Housing policies must be developed collaboratively with the people they aim to help, ensuring that the green transition does not leave vulnerable citizens behind. They emphasize the need for integrated housing strategies that consider entire neighborhoods and infrastructure, not just individual homes, and for better resource redistribution and local capacity building.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.