Energy efficiency, housing, equity and health

Excerpt

In 2009, 20 % of all European Union (EU) households earning less than 60 % of the national median income faced problems keeping their home warm during the winter time—making them three times more vulnerable to indoor cold than the other households (WHO Regional Office for Europe 2012). Poor households are known to face significant heating expense challenges, and often compromise on indoor temperatures, accepting low thermal comfort due to budgetary constraints (Braubach and Fairburn 2010). Therefore, next to being a climate change priority, policies supporting the refurbishment of energy-inefficient housing should also represent a social and equity priority affecting health and well-being of the residents. However, using the example of thermal insulation of housing as one of the standard measures for energy saving and CO₂ emission reduction (Howden-Chapman et al. 2011), the question is raised whether poor households are equally able to participate in and benefit from these policies. …