Tackling energy poverty in Central and Eastern Europe: Why we need to bring homeowners to the table
As originally published on eceee.
Nearly 50% of European territory is earthquake-prone, posing serious safety risks to citizens. In the last 50 years, earthquakes in Europe have caused tens of thousands of deaths and around millions becoming homeless.
In Italy alone, around 50% of residential buildings are earthquake-prone, while over 80% of the same stock is highly energy-consuming and carbon dioxide-emitting.
In earthquake-prone areas, energy renovation should thus be combined with seismic retrofitting through integrated solutions. There is simply no sense in retrofitting a building for energy improvements if it is hit by an earthquake the following week. Likewise for renovating for seismic/structural safety without reducing energy consumption and bills. However, the reality is that decarbonisation and seismic renovation are still largely treated as two separate issues. Maintaining this separation can lead to wasted investments and serious human consequences.
Integrated renovation solutions can spur growth of a new renovation industry
Fortunately, there are already brilliant solutions that combine deep renovation and seismic safety measures. Partners from the Horizon 2020 funded e-SAFE project, for example, have created customisable, prefabricated panels made from timber and locally sourced insulating bio-materials (such as hemp, cork, wood fibre, cellulose, and sheep wool).
In earthquake-prone areas, these panels can be combined with novel structural systems that improve both the seismic and energy performance of buildings in sustainable ways. Integrated renovations like this also represent a huge opportunity to attract and build a highly skilled local renovation workforce with increased safety on the job site (more design and preparation in factory as opposed to onsite), and a cutting-edge design process using the latest digitalised modelling technologies. Renovation can be rebranded as a sophisticated ‘green collar’ job, a noble craft.
People want to live, work and play in buildings where they feel safe
The Liceul Sportiv Banatul, a public high school in Timișoara, Romania, is an excellent example of a building that is long overdue for a deep renovation makeover for energy efficiency and seismic safety. Built in 1948, the school has a long history of being a ‘sports school’, with a strong reputation for athletic excellence. However, the school’s strong athletic and academic reputation is not its only inheritance. The school is directly connected to the district heating system which dates back to the communist regime. Building administrators have very little control over the indoor temperature. Often the heating is up so high, the only option to regulate the temperature is to open the windows.
Meanwhile, students frequently complain about being too hot and struggle to concentrate in sweltering classrooms, particularly during exams when they can’t leave the room for hours. Having only ever received shallow renovations once in the 1970s, the school also deals with a host of other structural weaknesses, including lack of structural resistance to earthquakes, an existential threat that is foremost in students’ and teachers’ minds.
Through the e-SAFE project, students and teachers freely committed their time to a four-month co- design process from December 2022 to March 2023. The students worked with building engineers, architects and social scientists to identify not only how to save energy and increase seismic safety, but also how to ensure the building responded to their daily needs. The process resulted in very concrete building renovation plans that cover efficiency, seismic safety, and aesthetics, taking into account many suggestions of the students themselves.
Through the e-SAFE project, students and teachers freely committed their time to a four-month co- design process from December 2022 to March 2023. The students worked with building engineers, architects and social scientists to identify not only how to save energy and increase seismic safety, but also how to ensure the building responded to their daily needs. The process resulted in very concrete building renovation plans that cover efficiency, seismic safety, and aesthetics, taking into account many suggestions of the students themselves.
Student working on a 3D cardboard model of their school.
Photorealistic renderings of the renovation plan after the co-design workshops with students.
The EPBD should protect vulnerable citizens and catalyse innovation
Integrated solutions addressing both energy efficiency and seismic safety have the potential to be scaled up, but this requires a robust policy framework. The EPBD recast has put many new measures on the table which could trigger holistic renovations and unleash brilliant innovation and new business models, the most potent of which is Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). By targeting the worst-performing buildings, MEPS offer the opportunity to prioritize buildings that urgently need both energy and seismic renovation, like the Liceul Banatul.
Earthquake-prone countries, in addition to the EPC class, could also consider buildings with high seismic risk as worst-performing. This would provide a more accurate picture of which buildings need to be renovated as priority and would very literally help us renovate smarter.
Earthquake safety, ballooning energy bills, soaring emissions and climate risks – it’s a tough reality to face, but Europe must face it head on. This means that the EU Buildings Directive should prioritize renovation of the worst buildings. This will accelerate rollout of integrated approaches that enable us to renovate intelligently, and will protect the millions of citizens like the students at Liceul Banatul who want and deserve better buildings.
