The evolution of the energy efficiency of dwellings in Flanders and the impact of socio-economic household characteristics

Abstract

Under impulse of the EU many efforts have been done in the last decade to improve the energy quality of Flemish dwellings, through legislation, renovation programs and subsidies. The Flemish authority itself through the Flemish Energy Agency regularly controls the evolution of the energy performance of new and existing dwellings. This evolution is positive, in a sense that new dwellings are on average more energy efficient and that the energy consumption per dwelling and per household in Flanders is systematically decreasing since 2003. However, these results do not give information on the progress of the different socio-economic groups with regard to energy efficient housing. Therefore this paper presents, based on the results of the Housing survey 2005 and the Large Housing Research 2013, the evolution of the energy efficiency of Flemish dwellings, subdivided for income, educational level, household type and ownership. This shows that there is a clear progress, not only for the socio-economic stronger groups, but also for the weaker groups. The largest progress is achieved for insulated glazing and roof/attic insulation. For wall and floor insulation the progress is less and here the arrear is larger for socio-economic weaker groups, despite the fact that wall and floor insulation are essential components of an energy efficient house. Also in the application of renewable energy there is a clear gap between stronger and weaker groups, with a progression for the strongest households and a status quo for the weaker households. With regard to efficient heating systems, the difference between house owners and renters can be considered as an indication that also here stronger households make more use of it than weaker households. Furthermore, the results clearly show that financial support measures are much less used by households that need them the most, even when they have executed energy saving measures. This can be an indication that the communication and administration related to financial support measures is still too complex and should be improved.