Better policies for healthy homes: sign up to the manifesto of local governments

The WELLBASED Healthy Homes campaign wants to raise awareness amongst local leaders, councils, and communities about the impact that fuel poverty has on people’s health. The European Commission defines fuel poverty as ‘when energy bills represent a high percentage of consumers income, affecting their capacity to cover other expenses, or when consumers are forced to reduce their energy consumption with an impact on their physical or mental well-being’.

In the winter of 2022-23, the WELLBASED team surveyed 356 households across 5 nations, about their experience of energy poverty and their health status. In the sample of 356 respondents 59% earn less than €750 per month and only attended lower secondary education. In this sample, the incidence of energy poverty was considerably higher than that reported in the EU energy poverty statistics for 2021. Nearly 65% of participants reported poor mental health, while 30% had a lung condition.

By signing this manifesto a city council commits to:

• Demonstrating a fair and inclusive approach to Net Zero transition.
• Improving health and energy efficiency activities that enable people to better cope with environmental changes.
• Reducing fuel poverty and understanding the link to health inequalities and the impact this has on the wider health and care system.

Each signatory will get the chance to:

• Collaborate with a network of committed cities to exchange on fuel poverty related health issues.
• Access first-hand research results and best practices from practitioners
• Attend the End Energy Poverty Forum in July in Brussels and Final WELLBASED event in Valencia in 2025

By signing this manifesto, your council shows its determination to reduce fuel poverty-related ill-health. Through this campaign, incremental small changes in every city will deliver improved outcomes with long-lasting effects.

Please confirm by email before 28 June 2024 the latest that your city joins the campaign. We will then add your city logo to the list of signatories and provide visibility and networking opportunities to all of you!

This campaign is an initiative by the European WELLBASED team, composed of city practitioners, researchers and NGOs: www.wellbased.eu