Europe and its Member States are committing large sums to buildings renovations. The policy emphasis has been on insulation, energy savings and emissions reduction. The latest Healthy Homes Barometer 2022 by Velux draws attention to the health benefits of renovations that target damp, lack of daylight, excess noise or cold, and other indoor climate hazards. To get an idea of the scale of the problem, 34 million Europeans are unable to keep their homes warm, according to the report. It quotes the World Health Organization’s calculations that show that investing in improving housing has a greater impact on health – over a two to four year period – than investing directly in healthcare. By investing in renovation an estimated €600bn per year by 2050 can be saved through avoided healthcare spend, improved health and improved productivity. [Promoted by Velux]

In its recent Energy Efficiency First Principle (EE1) Guidelines, the European Commission recognised human health as one of the most important co-benefits of energy efficiency but at the same time acknowledged a lack of good available data to better quantify and assess these wider benefits.

The latest Healthy Homes Barometer 2022 aims to address this gap by providing new data on the impact of a poor indoor climate on health and life satisfaction and the economic benefits of investing in healthy buildings.

As the pandemic loosens its grip on Europe and with the revision of the Fit for 55 Package and not least the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) currently on the legislative table, the opportunity to make buildings sustainable has never been more timely. The EPBD proposal does acknowledge the importance of a healthy indoor climate, but lacks clear definitions and measures in terms of how to act on it. At the same time, the need for decent, affordable and sustainable housing is greater than ever.

“We should improve Europe’s building stock and thereby the health and well-being of all European citizens. The good news is that we have a lifeline available for healthier buildings in Europe. Not only have EU Member States earmarked vast sums for renovating the building stock in their national recovery plans but the EU is also revising its legislation on buildings this year with the Fit for 55 Package,” says David Briggs, CEO, the VELUX Group.

Even before the Corona virus struck, the percentage of households where total housing costs represent more than 40% of disposable income was a shocking 9.4% for the overall EU population^[1]. And with energy costs skyrocketing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this figure is rising further. After all, Europe’s buildings consume 40% of Europe’s energy.

As a result of this lack of affordability, 15% of all Europeans currently live in deprived housing circumstances^[2] with a subsequent negative impact on health and well-being. In total, one in three Europeans live in a home that is affected by an indoor climate hazard, such as damp, lack of daylight, excess noise or cold^[3]. For those affected, the impact of their poor housing has been felt even more acutely during the various lockdowns of the pandemic, which forced them to spend more time at home.

At the same time, the pandemic and its many lockdowns have shown the importance of making indoor spaces safer and reducing the spread of airborne viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. Buildings have a clear role to play in achieving this. To safeguard our indoor environment, the World Health Organization and health authorities in many countries recommend airing out rooms and spaces regularly – either through natural ventilation, such as opening a window, or through mechanical ventilation systems.

The impact of poor indoor climate on mental well-being

The health impact of indoor climate hazards, such as damp and lack of daylight, are already well known and include asthma, respiratory problems and cardiovascular disease. However, new studies have now started to document the impact of poor indoor climate on well-being and life satisfaction. For example, living with poor or no heating has been shown to have the same perceived impact on well-being and life satisfaction as being separated from a partner^[4]. With 34 million Europeans unable to keep their homes warm^[5], the potential impact on their well-being is significant.

This type of assessment into well-being and life satisfaction gives governments and policymakers a way to measure the value of building renovation in a more holistic way. Alongside the tangible benefits, such as energy savings, they can now also measure the positive impact on mental health.

Buildings are political

With Europe on the cusp of a renovation wave that could tackle the climate crisis by decarbonising our building stock, the roll-out of national recovery plans as well as the need to step up efforts on energy efficiency, policymakers now have a unique opportunity to set the right legislative framework and push for investments in sustainable and healthy buildings.

Investing in housing is more than just improving living conditions and reducing climate impact. Healthy buildings can play an important role in reducing inequities and illness. Reducing exposure to damp and mould and rectifying the lack of daylight in residential buildings could result in mental well-being benefits estimated at almost 100 billion Euros per year^[6], in addition to energy efficiency improvements. Data from the World Health Organization also shows that investing in improving housing has a greater impact on health – over a two to four year period – than investing directly in health^[7]. The cumulative benefits of investing in renovation in terms of direct healthcare savings, improved health and improved productivity are conservatively estimated at 600 billion euros per year by 2050.

Research for the Healthy Homes Barometer 2022 was carried out in partnership with RAND Europe, a not-for-profit policy research organisation.

Find out more about the impact of indoor climate on health and life satisfaction as well as the benefits of investing in healthy buildings in the Healthy Homes Barometer 2022.

Key 2021 Healthy Homes Barometer findings

• 1 in 3 Europeans are exposed to an indoor climate hazard^[8]
• 50 million European households are living in energy poverty^[9], many of them unable to heat their homes in winter
• Ventilation is a simple and cost-effective way to safeguard indoor spaces against airborne viruses
• Indoor climate hazards affect our mental well-being and can increase the risk of depression^[10]
• Reducing exposure to damp and mould and rectifying the lack of daylight in residential buildings has been shown to result in well-being benefits that are felt to be the equivalent of around 90 billion Euros per year^[11], in addition to energy efficiency improvements
• Improving housing has a greater impact on health than investing directly in health^[12]

About the VELUX Group

For the past 80 years, The VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world; making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Our product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate, for work and learning, for play and pleasure. We work globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 40 countries and around 11,500 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2020, VKR Holding had total revenue of DKK 22.6 billion and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 142 million in charitable grants.

For more information, visit velux.com.

 

REFERENCES

1. Etzebizitzako Behatokia, Observatorio Vasco de La Vivienda, 2021, “Housing policy in Europe during the pandemic” ↑
2. WHO Europe 2019, ”Healthy prosperous lives for all: The European Health Equity Status Report” ↑
3. EU SILC data 2019 ↑
4. RAND report ↑
5. EU SILC data 2019 ↑
6. RAND report ↑
7. WHO Europe 2019, ”Healthy, prosperous lives for all: the European Health Equity Status Report” ↑
8. EU SILC data 2019 ↑
9. FEANTSA press release, 16 July 2021 ↑
10. EU SILC data ↑
11. RAND report ↑
12. WHO Europe 2019, ”Healthy, prosperous lives for all: the European Health Equity Status Report” ↑