Filenews 6 October 2024 - by Theano Thiopoulou
Those who are financially comfortable are also more likely to live in homes with improved energy efficiency and enjoy a house or apartment that is warm in winter, as opposed to those suffering from poverty or social exclusion.
This concerns not only Cypriots but more generally the citizens of Europe and on the basis of the data analysed by 'F', the differences in quality of life between citizens in different countries are evident.
The data recently released by Eurostat are particularly revealing of how citizens perceive "green" homes, depending on the incomes they have, and shows the extent to which homes have undergone renovations to improve their energy efficiency.
How performance is improved
This includes all measures that affect the thermal conditions of the dwelling. Key renovation activities covered by this indicator are: upgrading thermal insulation on exterior walls, roofs or floors, replacing single glazing with double or triple glazing and installing more efficient heating systems.
Both extensive renovations throughout the building and those involving individual residences are examined. Renovations can be undertaken by the household itself or facilitated by external bodies such as property owners. Buildings less than five years old, or other buildings that have not undergone energy renovation for whatever reason, shall be considered not to have improved their energy performance.
At national level, among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, Estonia (47.8%), the Netherlands (45.1%) and Lithuania (32.5%) reported the highest rates of improvement in the energy efficiency of housing, while Cyprus (5%), Malta (6.7%) and Italy (6.9%) recorded the lowest.
The largest gap between people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and those not – in relation to the energy improvements they make in their homes – was observed in Greece (28.8%), Bulgaria (26.3%) and Spain (21.1%).
In contrast, the countries with the least disparities are: Estonia (4.3%), Poland (5.9%) and Austria (6.7%).
The gap in Cyprus between people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and those who do not, as shown by Eurostat data, is 19.5%, which is higher than the EU-27 average of 17.9%.
Problem for those who do not have
In 2023, 25.5% of the EU population aged 16 and over lived in a dwelling where energy efficiency has improved over the past five years. The highest percentage of improvements was recorded in the Netherlands (58.7%), followed by Estonia (46.7%) and Latvia (36.7%).
At the lower end, Malta (8.4%) had the lowest rate, followed by Greece (11.9%), Cyprus and Spain (both 14.6%) and Italy (14.7%).
Estonia had the highest rate of energy improvements among those at risk of poverty or social exclusion (47.8%), followed by the Netherlands (45.1%), Lithuania (32.5%) and Latvia (32.3%).
In contrast, Cyprus (5%), Malta (6.7%) and Italy (6.9%) had the lowest rates for this group. Among those not at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the Netherlands had the highest rate (61.6%), while Malta (8.8%) and Greece (13.3%) had the lowest.
Best in rural areas
People at risk of poverty or social exclusion were less likely to report living in homes with improved energy efficiency (17.8%) compared to those not at risk (27.5%).
Overall, in 2023, cities had the highest percentages of people living in housing that was not comfortably warm in winter, with 19.1% of people affected, compared to 17.6% in cities and 16.3% in rural areas.
In 2023, improvements in energy efficiency were reported most in rural areas across the EU, averaging 29.4%, compared to 25.4% in cities and suburbs and 22.9% in cities.
People in rural areas reported the highest rates of improvement in 14 countries. Among these countries, Latvia led the way with 40.2% of rural residents reporting improvements, followed by Hungary (38.2%) and France (36.1%).
In contrast, cities and suburbs had the highest rates of improvement in energy efficiency in the Netherlands (64.2%) and Estonia (49.1%). Slovenia, Belgium, Ireland and Malta also saw more improvements in cities and suburbs than in cities or rural areas. In Cyprus, improvements in energy efficiency were reported most in rural areas, with an average of 16.4%, compared to 15.7% in cities and suburbs. And in Greece, improvements in energy efficiency were reported most in rural areas 13.8%, compared to 11.2% in cities and suburbs and 11% only in the cities category.
Cities showed the highest rates of improvement in energy efficiency in Slovakia (41.5%), Bulgaria (32.4%) and Portugal (30.7%). Italy and Spain (both 15.5%) also reported higher rates of improvement in cities compared to other regions.
Vulnerable households are cold – Cyprus at 35%
In 2023, 17.9% of the EU population reported living in a dwelling that was not comfortably warm during winter.
The highest percentage was recorded in Portugal, where 38.0% of the population faced this issue, followed by Ireland (34.3%), Greece (28.5%), France (28.1%) and Spain (27.3%).
In Cyprus, the rate for 2023 stood at 19.5%.
In 2023, 31.2% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU reported living in a dwelling that was not comfortably warm during winter, compared to 14.4% of those not at risk. The highest rates among people at risk were observed in Portugal (51.6%), Greece (49.9%), Ireland (44.5%), Spain (43.0%) and France (41.8%).
In Cyprus the percentage reached 35.2%, which is well above the European average of the "27" which was 31.2%.
In contrast, the lowest rates were recorded in Northern and Central European countries, with Estonia (7.5%), Austria (9.3%) and Poland (11.2%) reporting the lowest rates.
At the other end of the scale, Austria had the lowest share of the population reporting insufficient heat during winter (3.7%), followed by Estonia (4.3%), Slovenia (4.7%), the Netherlands (4.8%) and Belgium (5.8%).
