How can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis?

The energy price hike, which started even before the war, highlights the importance of how we use energy. 75% of buildings in the EU are not energy efficient, yet 85-95% of today’s buildings will remain in use in 2050. The European Green Deal has identified renovating public and private buildings as an essential action (and the European Climate Pact argues that every building in the EU could be green). What should be the burden sharing of costs between public and private owners and what’s the citizens’ penalty or dividend?

Energy security and a drive towards renewables is also necessary to hit international climate targets and make Europe climate neutral by 2050. Governments, private sector, and citizens will need to work together, but there is plenty that households can do to help boost efficiency and save energy!

Want to learn more about how individual actions might collectively help us fight climate change? Check out our infographic below (click for a bigger version):

What do our readers think? We had video questions on this topic sent in from Milan and Marie, as well as text questions from Xouav (who asked if rising energy prices might make renewable alternatives for households, such as heat pumps, more competitive); EU Reform Proactive (who asks what’s wrong with the old-fashioned – and cheaper – approach of wearing warmer clothing and using hot water bottles when it’s cold); and Roberta (who wonders how can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis, given many people rent and don’t have a say on solar panels).

To get responses, we put these questions to:

• Robert Dijksterhuis, Special Envoy for Sustainable Building at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
• Katharina Habersbrunner, Board Member and Team Leader for Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions at Women Engage for a Common Future
• Magdalena Maj, Leader Energy and Climate Team at the Polish Economic Institute
• Ugis Rotbergs, Member of the Riga City Council and European Climate Pact Ambassador
• Micha Sörgel, Spokesperson of the Working Group on Energy and Climate at the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Bavaria

You can see their responses in the video at the top of this post!

Do you want to get involved? Sign up to the European Climate Pact and pledge to take practical steps to help reduce carbon pollution on our planet.

What do YOU think? How can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis? What should be the burden sharing of costs between public and private owners and what’s the citizens’ penalty or dividend? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!

Photo by Jadon Kelly on Unsplash

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