EU Households Struggle to Stay Cool as 26% Face Summer Energy Poverty

1 articles · Updated · Renewable Matter · Aug 20

26% of EU households could not keep their homes comfortably cool in a 2023 survey, rising to nearly 35% among the lowest-income group, as Marine Cornelis argues cooling has become a safety issue rather than a comfort choice.
46,400 to 60,000 excess deaths were linked to inadequate cooling in Europe in summer 2022, with 89% among people aged 65 or older, underscoring the health toll of hotter summers and poorly adapted housing.
Nearly 75% of Europe’s building stock is inefficient, while renters—31% of the EU population—often cannot retrofit homes, leaving many households dependent on air conditioning that raises bills and can strain power grids.
Greece showed that risk in July 2025, when a heatwave lifted wholesale electricity prices 45% in one day, pushed demand toward 10,000 megawatts and put the grid on emergency alert.
Cornelis calls for regular EU data collection, renovation plans that include summer thermal performance, and heat-period tariff protections, arguing cooling should be treated as part of Europe’s social contract.