While the study underlines the need for massive renovation of buildings, the source of 40% of energy demand in Europe, it points above all to the need to go beyond the sole criterion of energy performance to encompass the challenges of climate, health and environment.
Poor housing affects nearly one in three French people
The pandemic has highlighted housing inequalities across Europe. Over the course of successive confinements, the habitat has adapted to meet the multiple needs: housing, workplace, classroom or place of leisure. This change of life has been particularly difficult for all those who live in substandard housing. And they are many.
The study shows that 32% of French people say they are exposed to a risk related to the indoor environment. It quantifies the four main risk factors: excessive noise (for 17% of French people), humidity and mold (for 11% of French people), lack of light (for 7% of French people, above European average) and excessive cold (for 6% of French people). France is in the middle of European countries.
Indoor environmental risks affect our health and psychological well-being
The quality of the indoor environment has a direct impact on our physical and mental health. Thus, 69 million Europeans say they are affected by humidity and mold problems. These risks are the cause of asthma, respiratory problems or cardiovascular disease.
In the event of simultaneous exposure to the four main indoor environmental risks (humidity, noise, cold and light), the chances of developing a health problem are multiplied by four compared to a person living in a healthy building. And for children, this figure is even higher.
We are far from the usual representation of housing as a protective cocoon, even though the time we spend there has increased during the Covid-19 crisis and the need for heated, light and airy housing is essential for our health.
The social equity challenge of sustainable buildings
The 2022 Healthy Housing Barometer also highlights a social reality, revealing that 50% of Europeans do not have enough savings to maintain their standard of living beyond three months. Thus 50 million European households are currently in a situation of fuel poverty, with the inability to heat their homes in winter. This is the case for 18% of low-income French people. This alarming situation is likely to worsen, driven by the rise in energy prices and the direct repercussions on household bills.
Living with insufficient or no heating has an impact on health but also on well-being and satisfaction in life, a reality exposed in the study. And it is the 18% of low-income French people who cannot heat their homes properly who are particularly exposed to the deterioration of their health and well-being.
The urgency of investing in a healthy and sustainable habitat
The role of buildings is essential in our lives. Because they are at the heart of climatic, social and health issues, renovation must be thought of in 3D to respond to three emergencies: climatic, because 40% of energy demand in Europe concerns buildings; social, for the 50 million European households who live in a situation of energy and health insecurity, because one in three Europeans is affected by at least one of the risks linked to the indoor environment. If the urgency of decarbonizing buildings is no longer to be proven in order to act on the climate, the desire to act on the risks linked to the indoor environment remains too often relegated to the background.
By investing in the renovation of the housing stock, it is possible to invest simultaneously in the health of citizens and in the economy. The Healthy Housing Barometer 2022, made up of studies mainly carried out by RAND Europe, reveals that a reduction in exposure to humidity and mold, as well as an improvement in exposure to daylight in homes, would generate economic benefits in France estimated at nearly 7,8 billion euros by 2050. At the same time, this could increase energy efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint.
Europe and France are now at the dawn of a wave of renovation that could help tackle the climate crisis by decarbonizing our building stock. Now is also the time to renovate and create buildings that are both more sustainable and more resilient, as well as healthier habitats.
Download the 2022 edition of the Healthy Housing Barometer 2022