Reducing energy poverty in the long term: how to use European funds for the renovation of residential buildings

This document has been created in collaboration with KSNET, within the framework of the “Cities” line of research, coordinated by KSNET.

Energy poverty, which affects between 3 and 8 million people in Spain, is structural in origin; residential buildings are old and inefficient, and only a tiny proportion (approximately 0.1%) are renovated every year. In the short term, this situation is alleviated by income transfers and other mechanisms, but this is not sufficient. To solve the problem, residential buildings in the worst condition require structural intervention, and these buildings also tend to be where the households most vulnerable to energy poverty are living.

Therefore, we propose three lines of action to take maximum advantage of the European funding programmes and the new Renovation Wave Strategy: renovation while applying criteria of both income and efficiency; improving information about residential buildings; and increasing the number of skilled workers in the renovation sector.