As heatwaves become longer and more intense, a growing number of Europeans are falling into summer energy poverty – the inability to keep homes cool during dangerously hot weather.
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is warning that governments must urgently tackle this issue in their upcoming National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs), due by the end of 2025.
These plans, it says, must go beyond winter heating and focus on protecting vulnerable households from extreme summer temperatures.
“Energy poverty is becoming a year-round issue for millions of households who do not have access to or can’t afford the means to keep their homes adequately cool or warm throughout the seasons,” said Mónica Vidal, CAN Europe’s Senior Built Environment Campaigner.
The urgency is underlined by the World Meteorological Organisation’s latest forecast, which gives an 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will be hotter than 2024 – already the warmest year on record.
With heat-related health risks rising, especially for older people and low-income families, campaigners say governments can’t afford to wait.
CAN Europe’s latest briefing flags the lack of updated data – the most recent Eurostat figures on summer cooling needs date back to 2012, showing 19% of EU households couldn’t adequately cool their homes.
That number is likely to have climbed sharply, driven by higher energy costs and accelerating climate change.
The briefing sets out a series of policy recommendations, including deep renovation at neighbourhood level, passive cooling solutions like shading and ventilation, and urban planning changes to reduce heat build-up in cities.
It also showcases successful initiatives from across Europe where cooling needs are being addressed in fair, affordable and sustainable ways.
With temperatures rising and inequality deepening, campaigners say the message is simple – Europe must build homes that protect people from the cold and the heat.
Copyright © 2025 Energy Live News LtdELN