Some 23.9% of the EU population live in dwellings that have seen some degree of energy efficiency improvement in the last five years, according to new data from Eurostat.
The Netherlands recorded the highest share of residents living in homes that have received energy efficiency improvements, where more than three fifths (60.5%) of homes have received upgrades.
Denmark ranked second with 34.0% of homes having been upgraded, followed by France and Slovenia, which recorded 33.3%.
At the other end of the scale, Italy reported the lowest figure, at 2.6%, while Malta and Greece followed with 7.8% and 9.5% respectively.
Segregated market
As Eurostat‘s data showed, people considered to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion were less likely to live in homes that benefited from recent energy efficiency upgrades. Across the EU, 17.4% of those at risk reported living in renovated dwellings, compared with 25.6% of people not considered at risk.
This difference was most pronounced in the Netherlands, where 63.3% of people not at risk of poverty lived in upgraded homes, compared with 45.3% of those at risk. Similar gaps were observed in Cyprus, where the figures stood at 30.3% and 16.7%, and in Denmark, where 36.4% of those not at risk lived in improved dwellings compared with 22.9% among those at risk.
‘Dwellings with energy efficiency improvements in the last five years show the extent to which residential properties have undergone renovations to enhance energy performance,’ Eurostat commented.
‘This includes all measures that impact the thermal conditions of the dwelling. Key renovation activities covered by this indicator are: the upgrading of thermal insulation in external walls, roofs, or floors; the replacement of single-glazed windows with double or triple-glazed units; and the installation of more efficient heating systems.’ Read more here.
