Insights into energy poverty and needs in rural areas: new brief from the Rural Observatory and JRC
Rural areas in the EU face greater levels of energy poverty and higher spending on energy. On the plus side, rural households are leading in renovations for efficiency. To meet energy needs, rural areas would be best served by place-based energy solutions.
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These are the key highlights of a new policy brief from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Rural Observatory. The paper complements an earlier report exploring rural energy poverty and needs.
Around 48 million Europeans (10.6% of the EU population) were unable to heat their homes properly in 2023. With lower average incomes and homes that are generally bigger, older and less energy efficient, rural areas tend to experience higher levels of energy poverty than urban areas, especially in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. On average, rural households dedicate 7.1% of their spending to energy, a figure that rises to more than 12% in Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovakia.
However, rural areas are leading the way when it comes to energy efficiency renovations, with 29% of rural residents living in households that saw improvements in the five years prior to 2023. These include better thermal insulation, replacing single-glazed windows with double- or triple-glazed windows and installing more efficient heating systems.
The brief concludes that place-based policies can best meet energy needs across the EU. In rural areas, high levels of spending on energy and energy poverty can be tackled by supporting rural households in implementing self-consumption systems, such as photovoltaics (PV). Rural dwellings are well placed to cover their electricity needs with PV technology – for example, using rooftop solar panels – since they have larger roof areas and high levels of home ownership (78% of rural homes are owned by their occupants compared with 55% in cities).
The paper recommends that the EU collect and harmonise detailed data on renovations and Energy Performance Certificates, to monitor progress at the local level and identify the worst-performing dwellings, in line with the EU’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Explore the latest Rural Pact resources on the topic of energy and join the dedicated Community Group.