Alleviating the impact of energy poverty in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) is challenging. One of the main reasons for this is the difficulty to deliver energy efficiency measures to PRS households due to structural problems like information deficits, split incentives, and more.

Our new ENPOR Report examines the structural barriers preventing investment in energy efficiency measures in Europe’s PRS housing stock. The analysis is undertaken concerning the broader trends in private renting, the regulatory landscape that currently exists, and the need to reduce social vulnerability and income poverty more generally.

Following desk-based reviews of academic and grey literature, financial, political/ regulatory, social, and geographical factors were identified as key barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency policies in the PRS.

Furthermore, a primary survey was conducted with a range of stakeholders working in the field of energy poverty, energy efficiency, housing, and decarbonization. The survey aimed to generate primary data on knowledge of policies, ratings of importance on the identified barriers and governance scales, and understandings of the effects of policy on vulnerable groups.

Partners from the ENPOR Consortium, including our TEESlab team, provided expert situated viewpoints, which were drawn together to provide a holistic overview of factors contributing to the key barriers, as well as suggesting potential solutions from a multi-stakeholder perspective, supplemented by the survey’s findings.

You can find the full version of the Report here.