Observatoire Cetelem Habitat 2024

ENERGY RENOVATION: TIME FOR A CHANGE AT SCALE

To fight against climate changes, the European Commission adopted in 2020 its strategy for a general building renovation wave. Indeed, housing is responsible for 40% of the EU’s total energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. Europe’s housing stock is weighing heavily on the climate challenge.

The strategy aims to improve the energy performance of buildings by starting a wave of major renovation works. According to the Commission, more than 220 million buildings built before 2001 must be renovated. This represents 85% of the housing stock in the EU Member States. Yet, only 1% of buildings renovations include energy efficiency. Moreover, global renovations that will reduce energy consumption by, at least 60%, only concerns 0.2% of buildings.

In order to achieve the green pact for Europe’s objective of carbon neutrality by 2050, we urgently need to step up the pace.

The conclusion of this edition? Energy renovation of housing faces a major challenge: the need to change scale in all European countries. But what do Europeans think about energy housing renovation and where are they at?

But what do Europeans think and where are they ?

Method

The quantitative consumer survey was conducted by Harris Interactive in March 2024 in France.

In total, 3, 000 people were interviewed online (CAWI collection method). These people aged from 18 to 65 years are drawn from representative national samples of each country. The representativeness of the sample is ensured by the quota method (sex, age, region of residence and level of income/CSP). 

Table of contents

How do European people perceive their housing?
What efforts are they willing to make to reduce their energy consumption?
Are European people encouraged to undertake renovation work?
What are the levers to accelerate energy renovation?

The study to download

L’Observatoire Cetelem de l’Habitat 2024 is available to download in several formats. A comprehensive presentation that brings together all the results of the study, an infographic focusing on the main lessons and a quiz to help you learn.