Spring is in the air. The days are getting longer, the air feels lighter, and we’re all shaking off the winter blues. But before we get too comfortable, let’s talk about what’s coming: another scorching summer, likely hotter than the last. And if we don’t start preparing now, we’ll find ourselves in trouble. Again.
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” That’s how George Gershwin’s classic song goes. But summer is getting harder for many people. The heat is relentless, energy bills skyrocket, and for those living in poorly insulated homes, there’s no escape. The romantic image of lazy, breezy afternoons has been replaced by extreme heat warnings, restless nights, and a growing public health crisis.
Summer energy poverty isn’t a term most people use, but the reality of it is everywhere. Just like some people can’t afford to heat their homes in winter, many struggle to stay cool when temperatures soar. Poor insulation, inefficient cooling, and sky-high electricity bills leave millions vulnerable to extreme heat. And yet, most policies still treat energy poverty as a winter problem.
The numbers are hard to ignore. Around 19% of EU households can’t keep cool in the summer (according to data collected in… 2012). Heatwaves already kill tens of thousands of people each year, hitting hardest in homes that trap heat, in cities that overheat, and in communities that can’t afford solutions. And no, this isn’t just an issue for southern Europe—places that once relied on their ‘mild’ summers are getting dangerously hot too.
So why aren’t we talking about this more? Partly because we’ve always thought of energy poverty as a winter thing. And partly because when people think of cooling, they picture air conditioning, and AC still feels like a luxury in many places. But staying cool isn’t a luxury. It’s a basic need in a warming world. And no, the solution isn’t just installing more AC units: it’s about designing homes and cities that don’t overheat in the first place.
The EU has started to catch on. The Energy Efficiency Directive now recognises cooling as essential, and new building regulations are meant to help prevent overheating. The European Commission has also just released a report dedicated to this issue, highlighting how summer energy poverty needs to be addressed with the same urgency as winter heating problems, and identifying some solutions.
Because they exist, but they are scattered across energy, climate, and health policies. Unfortunately, they’ve never been tied together enough to form a cohesive approach. This is part of the problem, because summer energy poverty isn’t just about energy, it’s about public health, climate policies, urban planning, and social justice. Until these threads are woven together into a real strategy, we’ll keep patching over the issue instead of fixing it.
One key concept in this conversation is Just Resilience. This means ensuring that climate adaptation strategies don’t just protect the wealthy but are designed with fairness at their core, prioritising the most vulnerable and making sure solutions don’t leave anyone behind. Cities and national policymakers need to integrate summer energy poverty into their plans, making cooling accessible, affordable, and sustainable for all.
Some cities are already stepping up. Paris is expanding its urban cooling network, Athens has a Chief Heat Officer, and Amsterdam is turning social housing rooftops into green cooling spaces. These ideas work. They just need to go mainstream.
And let’s talk about funding. The Social Climate Fund and EU recovery plans have money that could go toward proper insulation, passive cooling, and smarter urban planning. But will it actually reach the people who need it most? That’s the part that needs fixing. Nobody should have to choose between sweltering at home or getting an unaffordable energy bill just to keep cool.
This summer will once again test our ability to respond to a crisis we’ve seen coming for years. Will we finally take summer energy poverty seriously, treating it as a structural issue rather than an emergency we react to when it’s too late? Or will we let another season pass with makeshift solutions and short-term fixes? The time for action is now: before the heat arrives, before the energy bills spike, and before vulnerable communities are left to struggle through yet another unbearable summer.
Spring is here. By the time the heatwaves hit, the livin’ won’t be easy. Now is the moment to act.
About the author: Marine is founder of Next Energy Consumer. Trusted advisor to EU policymakers & industry leaders on energy justice, consumer rights & policy
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 