Energy inefficiency through the lens of lived experiences

How the lack of Government action on retrofitting is wreaking havoc on our communities

...I found the extent of poverty Roma are facing to be truly shocking. Roma respondents were terrified of the expenses of electricity consumption, and these costs contribute to a vicious cycle of poverty. Many of the respondents were grateful simply to have a roof over their heads even if the conditions were not always the best.

~Elena Manciu, Roma Climate Justice Peer Education Officer at Cairde, who led the research ‘Roma Communities and Climate Justice: Tackling Energy and Heat Poverty in Ireland’ (jointly published by us and Cairdre). 

 

Imagine living in a home that wreaks havoc on our health, finances—as well as the environment. Sounds far-fetched at first glance and yet, that’s precisely what the lack of Government action is forcing the vast majority of us in Ireland to endure—living in heat-leaking, substandard homes reliant on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. As political scientist Leah Stokes said, “You probably wouldn’t feel good about living next to a fossil-fuel power plant, so why invite these dirty appliances into our home?” 

Energy efficiency of homes is not just a technical endeavour—they’re a linked environmental, social, health and economic necessity. Lack of retrofitting or insulation of homes means we’re at severe health risk in our own homes, whilst also being riddled with extortionate energy bills. In general, those in lower quality housing with lower energy efficiency standards rely more on fossil fuels, therefore fuelling the climate crisis. 

Cold, damp, mould-ridden homes are rampant across Ireland. The majority of our housing stock is energy inefficient – Irish homes use 7% more energy than the EU average and emit almost 60% more CO2.

It only follows that it’s indispensable to center and amplify the voices of those living in cold, damp homes reliant on fossil fuel heating. In this blog, we’re highlighting the experiences of the Roma community in the context of energy poverty, heating and housing. These are drawn from the ‘Roma Communities and Climate Justice: Tackling Energy and Heat Poverty in Ireland’ report. This research forms part of Friends of the Earth and Cairde’s work to understand how Roma people are experiencing heat and energy poverty.

An emerging theme of this research was that despite living in accommodation that was damp, mould-ridden and substandard, in the majority of cases, Roma respondents were grateful simply to have a roof over their heads. 

A young Roma woman is quoted as saying, 

“I am happy because I have a home but really the structure is very poorly made. I do not complain because I lived with my children in a hotel and we had to go outside all day, it did not matter if it rained, I spent hours outside in the rain until we were allowed to re-enter the hotel.”

This is a stark reminder of the dire conditions of living that are normalised—and even legitimised sometimes—owing perhaps to the context of the housing crisis in Ireland, which leaves people feeling grateful to at least have a home, even as the same home is causing them severe health troubles and riddling them with high energy bills. This results in energy poverty, which means the inability to access and afford essential energy services and products—which constitute a basic human need. This could look like being forced to turn off heating to save money or choose between heating and eating. 

Artwork by Iris Aghedo

 

The following accounts of Roma people, as highlighted in the report, speak to this.

Another big problem that I suffer in my house is expenses, in winter I never allow myself to keep my house warm out of fear.

- Roma woman, aged 46 - 55, Dublin

The windows are in very bad condition, the cold comes in, in winter I have to put blankets so my children don’t get cold.

- Roma woman, aged 25 - 36, Dublin

I feel that the structure of my house is not very strong, a lot of cold comes in through the windows. I dream of having solar panels or some help to pay for the garbage. Everything is extremely expensive, garbage, gas, children’s expenses... it is difficult forus to make ends meet.

- Roma man, aged 36 - 45, Dublin

I am not happy because gas and electricity are extremely expensive.

- Roma woman, aged 56 - 65, Dublin

I can barely support my family, I would love to have a good job to be able to offer a better home.

- Roma man, aged 36 - 45, Dublin

More than 80% of respondents of the research reported that they had to reduce their energy use to keep their bills low. More than 25% of respondents were living in accommodation that was damp and structurally unsound. 68% of respondents reported they were unable to keep their homes warm enough - they expressed they did not have adequate insulation from the cold.

The poor quality of the homes people are forced to live in, which are detrimental to our health as well, is a component of the housing crisis in Ireland. The housing crisis in the country needs to be understood and addressed also in terms of the inadequate quality of homes, and how it means people are exposed to severe health risks in their own homes, whilst also being pushed into energy poverty. In addition to building more affordable homes, the Government also needs to ensure people get to live in warm, healthy homes that aren’t reliant on dirty and expensive fossil fuels. Retrofitting homes is not merely about comfort, it’s about meeting our basic human needs—it’s about climate and social justice. 

Issues like energy poverty, as well as being forced to live in substandard, unhealthy homes, is something that disproportionately impacts low-income families, people of colour, ethnic minorities and other marginalised communities. Recent European research points to the same. It highlighted the disproportionate impact that climate change is having, and will continue to have, on marginalised Roma communities. This includes “inequitable access to environmental resources and services”, as well as the proximity of toxic facilities and environmental hazards to Roma settlements.

The climate crisis is, after all, a multiplier of inequalities and injustices. The climate crisis, systemic racism, inequalities, poverty etc. are not mutually exclusive, they do not occur in isolation—in fact, these issues reinforce and intersect with each other. This issue of cold, inadequate, unhealthy homes - which are pervasive in Ireland - is indicative of how inextricably interlinked the climate crisis is with the housing crisis, cost of living crisis, poverty, inequalities, health etc.

As the report further pointed out, “Not only does the pressured rental market mean less quality and choice for families to stay in areas they know, or with family, it also creates many barriers to improving the quality of the available housing in terms of affordability, access to government upgrading insulation schemes and energy efficiency. For many Roma, these schemes are difficult to access, especially in situations where they would need the most support to access quality interventions around housing, heat and energy.”

This is the motivation behind our Warm Homes for All: Tenants for Climate Justice campaign which focuses on renters and those living in social housing - as these are communities that are the worst impacted—and yet, many remain locked out of Government retrofitting schemes. Living in warm, well insulated and healthy homes should no longer be a luxury that only the privileged few - such as wealthy homeowners - can afford. Retrofitting that doesn’t reach everyone establishes a two-tier energy system, further widening the gap between wealthier households - who can enjoy the benefits of retrofitting - and the rest who’re forced to burn dirty, expensive fossil fuels to keep their homes heated.

Some of the recommendations from the joint report by Cairde and Friends of the Earth:

• Retrofitting schemes that target rental accommodation, while also ensuring security of tenancy for the tenant.
• Education and peer support programmes for Roma should continue to be resourced and adequately funded, to support Roma access to English language and literacy classes and overall inclusion in Irish society.

Joint demands of over 20 Civil Society Organisations to the Government plan to permanently end energy poverty, that Friends of the Earth and Cairde submitted to:

• By 2026, everyone in Ireland should have access to the basic energy they need, regardless of income, home ownership status, age, disability or health status, location, or type of housing.
• The new plan must align with the government’s commitment to cut emissions by 51% by 2030, and must prioritise at-risk groups for energy efficiency and renewable heating solutions, making sure no one is left behind in the transition off fossil fuels.
• Focus on long-term solutions to permanently eradicate energy poverty, not just short-term relief like untargeted energy credits.
• Set enforceable, measurable, and time-bound targets to reduce energy deprivation across all cohorts.
• Include the voices of those most affected by energy poverty in the plan’s development and delivery.

For the full list of recommendations, read the report here.

Blog by Nandana James