The SUPERSHINE project has released a new policy brief titled “A Just Renovation Framework for Europe’s Social Housing Sector,” highlighting the urgent need to align climate goals with housing affordability and social equity across Europe.

Europe’s social housing sector currently stands at the intersection of two pressing challenges: the accelerating climate transition and rising energy costs affecting millions of households. Today, around 25 million Europeans live in energy poverty, while a significant share of the building stock was constructed before 1980 and requires deep renovation.

While European initiatives such as the Renovation Wave and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aim to accelerate the decarbonisation of buildings, the policy brief highlights that social housing faces unique barriers that slow down progress. Renovation rates across Europe remain below 1% per year, limiting the pace at which energy efficiency improvements can be implemented.
To address these challenges, the policy brief proposes a “Just Renovation Framework” that ensures climate action in the housing sector also protects vulnerable communities. The framework emphasises the importance of integrating technical innovation, financial instruments, and social safeguards to ensure that renovation efforts do not increase housing inequality.

The analysis identifies several key barriers currently affecting the social housing renovation landscape, including high upfront investment costs, limited access to financing mechanisms for smaller housing providers, and the risk of “renoviction”, where renovation leads to rent increases that displace vulnerable tenants.

Based on the experience and results of the SUPERSHINE project, the policy brief outlines a series of recommendations to support policymakers and local authorities in accelerating the renovation of social housing while maintaining affordability.
The brief calls for dedicated decarbonisation funds and blended finance models combining grants, concessional loans, and performance-based incentives to ensure renovation projects remain economically viable for social housing providers.
Policy measures such as “green rent regulation” are recommended to ensure that any rent increases linked to renovation are fully offset by reductions in energy bills, protecting tenants from additional financial burdens.
The policy brief highlights the importance of creating Retrofit One-Stop Shops, providing technical support, financial guidance, and coordination services for renovation projects.
Adopting tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) can help ensure that renovation projects remain environmentally effective and financially sustainable over the long term.

Ultimately, the policy brief argues that the transition toward climate-neutral buildings cannot rely solely on technical upgrades. Instead, it must integrate social protection, innovative financing, and coordinated governance to ensure that the benefits of the green transition are shared by all citizens. By placing social housing at the centre of the climate transition, Europe has the opportunity to deliver warmer homes, lower energy bills, and more resilient communities while advancing its broader climate goals.

Explore the policy brief and discover the full set of recommendations here!