Addressing energy poverty through residential energy efficiency in Central and Eastern Europe

08.01.2023

This publication is the first product of a new initiative of Habitat for Humanity International, Europe and the Middle East, Area Office (HFHI EME), the Residential Energy Efficiency (REE) Observatory in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This is the first collection of academic articles about how to scale up the retrofitting of multi-apartment buildings and how to decrease energy poverty at a moment where heating in the winter has become one of the biggest political and social challenges in our region.

The head of international relations and projects of the Estonian Union of Co-operative Housing Associations, Anu Sarnet, offers in her article “Solutions for scaling up renovations for energy efficiency in multi-apartment residential buildings in Estonia” suggestions for accelerating energy-efficiency upgrades through the example of Estonian multi-apartment residential buildings.

“The biggest difficulties in carrying out energy efficiency retrofits are lack of proper long-term financing and lack of awareness towards the benefits of these retrofits. In order to overcome these challenges, well-designed apartment ownership legislation is necessary. Furthermore, regular training is essential for HOAs aligned with a well-developed outreach model and network helping to influence the target groups’ attitudes. For proper financing, the combination of loans, grants, and guarantees has proven to be successful.”

The publication ”Addressing energy poverty through residential energy efficiency in Central and Eastern Europe” is available on the website of the publisher, Residential Energy Efficiency Observatory in Central and Eastern Europe, a new initiative of Habitat for Humanity International, Europe and the Middle East, Area Office.