Opinion: Alleviating Year-Round Energy Poverty Needs to Be a Top Priority
03/09/2024 One of the main priorities for the next European Commission must be to provide a healthy and comfortable living environment across Europe. Achieving this will require a holistic approach that goes far beyond solely tackling the housing crisis, but also addresses Europe’s rising energy poverty levels and the looming climate crisis. Initiatives such as Build […]
Year-round energy poverty for millions of Europeans as heatwaves hit
Supporters of the Build Better Lives Campaign came together to contribute to this article in Euronews to raise awareness around the hot topic of the summer, energy poverty. Energy poverty has been typically associated with winter and people being not able to heat their homes. However, with a worsening climate crisis, overheating in homes has […]
Leading the way: Insights from the Colonel Bourg social housing project, an affordable & sustainable housing solution for all.
Last month, despite the wind and rain, supporters of the Build Better Lives campaign made the journey out to the Colonel Bourg social housing project in the neighbourhood of Reyers in the heart of Schaerbeek, Brussels, to see how affordable & sustainable housing projects are building better lives.
OPINION: Renovating buildings while leaving no one behind
Eva Brardinelli, EU Buildings Policy Expert at CAN Europe, reflects on the tumultuous revision process of the Energy Performance Buildings Directive (EPBD) and how this is now a starting point for European Union member states to ramp up their efforts towards holistic building renovation that leaves no one behind. Despite however the best efforts of […]
Want to accelerate climate action? Show people real-life benefits
…Pan-European coalitions like Build Better Lives unite climate advocates with labor and housing advocates to promote the benefits of energy efficient buildings. – Dr Michael Shank An opinion piece written by Dr Michael Shank, Director of Engagement at the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, for Politico EU discusses the need for climate advocates to communicate on the benefits […]
Home is where your health is
Extreme drought in Summer, floods in Autumn, cold winters…anxiety, asthma, arthritis…for people in some parts of Europe, energy poverty has become an all-year-round worry. Many people find it difficult to live within their homes due to these health risks, even some would rather spend their time in a warm bus or in the public library.
Better and healthier households will improve the quality of life for all generations
Improving building policy in the European Union is not just a matter of enhancing energy efficiency; it is a crucial instrument in the fight against energy poverty and health inequity. Current estimates reveal a staggering number; over 50 million households suffer from a lack of adequate energy services in the home, significantly affecting their physical and mental health.
Rent indexation stop: A renovation catalyst?
As a response to the energy crisis, Flanders implemented a rent indexation stop for energy leaky housing with the goal of easing the ordeal for vulnerable tenants that are facing higher living costs, a tripling of their energy bills and rent indexation. The measure led to an increased number of renovations according to the Flemish Rent Platform, as landlords looked to maximize their profits. Nonetheless, the Flemish government decided to discontinue the indexation stop, as supposedly the energy crisis is “over now”.
There can’t be a Renovation Wave in Europe without workers
The EU’s Renovation Wave aims to at least double the annual energy renovation rate by 2030 in order to drastically reduce energy consumption and emissions within the building sector. For this to be achievable, the construction sector needs to attract more workers through decent wages and working conditions.
A Housing-Energy Pact to Build Better Homes across Belgium
Housing in Belgium has become low in supply, more unaffordable, and is mostly energy inefficient. In response to this, the Climate Coalition (Klimaatcoalitie), a Belgian NGO that unites more than 90 civil society organisations, has established a Housing-Energy Pact. This Pact makes up a remarkable alliance of environmental and social organisations that advocate for more homes to be renovated across Belgium in a socially just manner.