Rethinking Renovation Priorities: Mapping and Evaluating Housing Renovation Needs in the EU

Licentiate thesis, 2026

The move to decarbonise buildings and alleviate energy poverty through housing renovations is slow, with increasing evidence of unintended social and environmental consequences. At an EU level, policies which are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector have been shown to unfairly burden lower income households. Therefore, the need to integrate analysis of climate and social impacts of housing renovations, identify conflicts, trade-offs, and synergies between the two objectives becomes increasingly crucial to achieving a just green transition.
This thesis aims to evaluate the extent to which long-term renovation strategies of EU Member States contribute to a Just Green Transition by addressing the renovation needs of vulnerable households. It draws from EU databases to first map energy sources, systems, building and household characteristics to provide a comprehensive overview of conditions faced by vulnerable households. Long-term renovation strategies of EU Member States are then analysed to identify priority concerns, segments, and renovation measures to understand which segments will be affected and how they will be affected by renovation strategies. Gaps in measures aimed at vulnerable households are highlighted as a result. By identifying these areas of concern, the thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how EU directives, transposed by Member States, impact vulnerable households