Addressing Residential Cooling Demand and Summer Energy Poverty in the EU - Towards a Cooler Future
Energy poverty is a growing challenge in Europe. As summer heatwaves intensify, the need for space cooling becomes increasingly crucial.. In 2023, data from the harmonised EU-SILC survey revealed that 26% of households were unable to keep their homes at a comfortably cool temperature during the summer of 2022, with this rate climbing to nearly 35% among the lowestincome group. Southern and eastern Member States, as well as urban residents and vulnerable populations, are the most affected. Inadequate cooling can lead to serious health issues and increased mortality rates. This report utilises harmonised survey indicators to map summer energy poverty across the EU, highlighting the growing spatial and social disparities in cooling adequacy and identifying the groups most at risk. Furthermore, it quantifies current residential cooling needs and unmet demand through an income-constrained model.
KOUKOUFIKIS Giorgos;
ROCA REINA Juan Carlos;
KATOUFA Niki;
OZDEMIR Erhan;
VOLT Jonathan;
CARLSSON Johan;
2026-01-23
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC143288
978-92-68-36263-1 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40612,
OP KJ-01-26-033-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC143288,
10.2760/8743866 (online),
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