Affordable housing and energy efficiency: Hanover says ‘yes’

Hanova, the municipal housing association, will try to meet both social and climate challenges

Today, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it will invest 60 million euros into a sustainable and affordable housing project in Hanover, Germany. The project will provide housing for economically vulnerable residents and allow the city to grow.

Additionally, according to an official statement, most of the new apartments will be more energy efficient than even the highest German efficiency standards. This means that residents will emit less CO2 in their day-to-day life and that utility consumption will be very low, which will strengthen the affordability offer.

Combining social and green objectives

The housing project will be financed through the InvestEU scheme, which allows the EIB to give out loans with longer maturity while boosting the social and ecological goals of the bloc. On the side of Hannover, the city’s municipal housing company hanova will oversee the development and management of the buildings.

Additionally, the project calls for the construction of 640 new housing units, of which 232 will be social and 408 – affordable housing. Hanover, as the capital of the Federal State of Lower Saxony, is a fast-growing city with a vibrant urban environment.

This, however, means that rents and housing costs over the past decade have risen and the city is rapidly becoming unaffordable for a certain portion of the population. The project aims to add to the 15,000 housing units hanova already controls and help relieve the pressure.

Moreover, 82% of the buildings will perform at least 20% better than the highest German energy efficiency standard. This means that these flats would need less energy at peak consumption, compared to a similar one with a 'high energy efficiency' label.

The affordable housing project is an example of what the just green transition means - solving social issues through green policy. The EIB Vice-President, Ambroise Fayolle, was quoted in a press statement, explaining that a high energy efficiency performance does not always need to mean high rents. She continued by saying that the project will help to sustain and grow a vibrant city.