This chapter addresses Social Innovation. It describes conditions, methods, and procedures to optimize engagement and strengthen people's and the community’s position in affordable energy renovations in buildings and on the district level. We focus on the lower- and middle-income occupants being tenants of not-for-profit or public housing associations and owner / occupiers in apartment buildings. [...]

To accelerate the transition in the heating sector, barriers and drivers need to be addressed. The analysis of this paper relies on an online survey in the residential sector and investigates influencing factors and perceptions of heating options in eleven EU member states. Further, it employs a case study in the industrial sector. The results reveal that in the residential sector ratings, as well as decisions to adopt heat pumps and district heating, are primarily influenced by technical or financial constraints, followed by self-centered aspects, trust, attitudes and personal interests. Conversely, the industrial sector is predominantly driven by economic considerations, regulations, and corporate strategies.

Energy efficiency renovation (EER) of the existing residential housing stock is crucial to achieving further decarbonization to be climate neutral by 2050. This transition is particularly challenging for affordable rental housing providers as they have to make intensive investment decisions while balancing rental affordability for their low- and middle income tenants. The affordable housing market is designed to provide affordable and accessible accommodation for individuals or families who may have difficulties finding suitable housing in the private rental market due to low income, disabilities, senior age or other vulnerable characteristics. Although the affordable rental housing providers design, invest, coordinate and perform energy-efficiency measures to improve the energy label of the existing housing stock, in many cases they need the approval of the tenants to finally execute the EER. Depending on the national governance, arrangements and regulations, as well as the event of a well-structured arrangement, tenants may exert a degree of influence on the decision-making process. We propose that it is necessary to understand the attitudes, strategies and perceptions of people occupying affordable housing, to be able to include them efficiently in the whole EER-decision-making process. This study aims to compile all behavioural factors analysed in literature and cluster them to reveal behavioural barriers and involvement preferences. We will offer a holistic profile of influencing factors unravelling tenants behavioural characteristics and lay a solid foundation for the design of potential policy and behavioural interventions to accelerate the EER in the affordable housing sector.