Households’ perceptions of the efficacy of retrofit policies to boost efficient homes in Spain

The drive toward a decarbonized housing stock, aligning with the European Union's 2050 carbon neutrality goals, is propelled by policies designed to lower barriers to the diffusion of energy efficient buildings. In Southern European countries like Spain, limited research has explored the perceived effectiveness of current and potential energy policies, especially before disruptive events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the European energy crisis. This study, using a comprehensive 2020 survey of 5456 buyers, sellers, tenants, and homeowners in Spain, assesses the perceived effectiveness of specific policies using multivariate statistics. These policies aim to overcome both financial barriers (e.g. tax breaks) and informational barriers (e.g. comfort co-benefits). We also explore how these perceptions relate to sociodemographic factors, living conditions, and market roles. Our findings show that perceived effectiveness increased with worsening living conditions, greater awareness of co-benefits (like thermal comfort and energy savings), older age, and longer home tenure. We found significant sociodemographic differences: women and older individuals tended to favor informational policies, while higher-income groups preferred financial ones. Young tenants were identified as an unresponsive group, largely unaware of the benefits of energy-efficient homes. These insights are vital for crafting tailored socio-residential policies. Moreover, this study offers a comparative framework to assess if our findings remain consistent after the subsequent introduction of NextGeneration funds. The study's relevance extends beyond Spain, as low building renovation rates and administrative fragmentation are common challenges across many countries and regions. This highlights the need for inclusive, adaptive policies that can effectively mobilize diverse non-professional stakeholders. • Households perceive financial policies as more effective than informational ones. • Efficacy perception links to worsening living conditions and co-benefit awareness. • Higher-income groups prefer financial policies, and older favor informational strategies. • Young tenants are an unresponsive segment, unaware of energy-efficient home benefits. • Policy success requires tailored strategies addressing household heterogeneity and segments.