Justice in Social Housing: Towards a People-centred Energy Renovation Process

Energy renovation must also be fair

In this article, we argue that social-housing renovation should be judged not only by carbon savings and technical performance, but by how fairly it treats the people living through it. Climate neutrality requires a much faster renovation rate, yet for tenants on low incomes or in vulnerable situations, renovation can affect affordability, comfort, health, daily routines, trust and their ability to influence what happens to their home. A project that lowers emissions while deepening insecurity cannot be called fully successful.

We developed a people-centred framework that looks beyond the distribution of costs and benefits. It brings together five connected dimensions: distribution, recognition, participation, capability and responsibility. Distribution asks who receives savings, improvements and financial burdens. Recognition asks whether tenants’ different circumstances and vulnerabilities are understood. Participation is about real influence, not only being informed. Capability concerns whether residents can use the benefits and cope with disruption. Responsibility asks which actors are accountable for a fair process and outcome.

Participation is more than meeting a legal threshold

Our study is rooted in Dutch social housing, where housing associations have a central role and tenants have formal participation rights. Major plans require support from at least seventy percent of tenants. That creates an important opening, but it does not automatically make participation meaningful. Complexity, mistrust, language barriers, health concerns and uncertainty over rent or energy bills can all reduce someone’s capacity to influence a decision.

We show why a technically or financially optimised plan can still fail socially. Vulnerable tenants are not one uniform group. Income, health, literacy, household circumstances, cultural background and previous institutional experiences all matter. A fair renovation process recognises those differences early, communicates accessibly, leaves room for dialogue and supports people before, during and after the works. It also takes disruption, temporary living conditions, indoor comfort and real affordability seriously.

For housing associations and policymakers, the direction is clear: justice needs to be designed into a project from the start, with tenant knowledge treated as evidence. Renovation can then do more than improve buildings. It can improve living conditions while building trust, agency and durable support for the energy transition.