Europe still faces a significant challenge in climate change mitigation. The 2022 RePowerEU plan underlined the need for a transition to more sustainable energy sources. At the threshold of a new Commission starting, discussions on decarbonisation and affordable housing similarly underscore the continued relevance of a Just and Green Transition. During the energy crisis, the number of EU residents unable to keep their homes warm increased, highlighting energy poverty as a critical challenge in Europe’s energy and building transition. Although energy poverty is fundamentally an equity issue, so far EU policies designed to address it have not sufficiently incorporated a social approach.
This policy paper provides a strong argument for a social and equity approach to energy poverty by exploring the intersection of health, social equity, and energy poverty in the EU’s Just and Green Transition. As EU policymakers work to build sustainable, affordable, and resilient energy systems, health considerations can significantly enhance the effectiveness of energy poverty policy, particularly in the context of residential buildings. This is because energy poverty intersects with health in two directions: it exacerbates poor health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations, but also creates a cycle where poor health further reinforces energy poverty.
By integrating a public health perspective into a social approach to energy policy, the paper outlines a vision for a more inclusive transition. This transition could leverage health co-benefits to improve well-being and reduce healthcare costs and foster resilient energy poverty policy. To make this more concrete, six recommendations are provided, focusing on:
- A Health in all Policies approach
- Health in energy poverty monitoring frameworks
- Inclusion of health equity in building and energy interventions
- A public health perspective in energy poverty interventions
- Strengthening of community engagement
- Prioritisation of marginalised and vulnerable groups
Embedding public health in a social approach to energy poverty is not only a moral imperative; it also provides great co-benefits that could be crucial to a successful building and energy transition, contributing to successful climate change mitigation.
Questions or comments? Feel free to get in touch with us.
Contact person:
Tomas de Jong, Policy Manager