Millions of European households have been making the difficult choice between heating and eating this winter as the cost of living and heating bills remain relatively high. This burden is felt more in the rental sector, as tenants contend with ever rising rent prices across the continent, further adding to the rising levels of energy poverty across the EU since February 2022.
Most policy measures that incentivise renewable heating are typically addressed to owners at large, but do little to encourage landlords specifically to renovate their buildings.
This briefing explores what is needed to make renewable heating accessible and affordable for tenants living in Europe, with a special focus on the energy poor. At its core lies the idea that the heating decarbonisation transition should not leave anyone behind, regardless of their income and their tenancy status.
