Why renovation obligations can boost social justice and might reduce energy poverty in a highly decarbonised housing sector

Andreas Müller, Marcus Hummel, Koen Smet, Daniel Grabner, Katharina Litschauer, Irma Imamovic, Fatma Ece Özer and Lukas Kranzl

Energy Policy, 2024, vol. 191, issue C

Abstract: To ensure the achievement of the climate and energy policy targets and simultaneously guarantee affordability and inclusiveness, a thorough consideration of institutional settings is necessary, such as the structures of housing provision (SHP), and taking into account low-income households. This paper deals with the following research questions: (1) Is a CO2 tax sufficient to achieve decarbonisation in the Austrian housing sector, particularly considering different SHP and low-income households? and (2) What is the impact of regulatory policy instruments like a renovation obligation in combination with a CO2 tax, in particular on low-income households? In the first step, key institutional structures affecting housing in Austria are identified through a literature review, regulation analysis, and interviews with housing-related organizations. The second step expands the Invert/EE-Lab building stock model by integrating SHPs, household income levels and age groups. We use the model to compare scenarios with different stringencies of renovation obligation. The results show that CO2 taxes alone do not provide sufficient incentives for building owners to renovate their properties, leading to a burden on tenants, particularly low-income households. Mandatory, well-prepared, and long-term renovation targets can help compensate for these negative effects and unlock the full potential of CO2 taxes for decarbonisation.

Keywords: Housing; Decarbonisation; Affordability; CO2 tax; Regulatory policy instruments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421524001885
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:191:y:2024:i:c:s0301421524001885

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114168

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().