BRIDGING ENERGY POVERTY, HOUSING COMFORT, AND HEALTH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF APARTMENT RENOVATIONS IN ROMANIA

Rezumat

ABSTRACT: The energy-efficient renovation of apartment buildings is a critical strategy for addressing energy poverty, enhancing housing comfort, and protecting public health in Romania’s urban areas. This systematic review, following the PRISMA methodology, sought to map the spatial distribution and governance frameworks of renovation programs, evaluate the technical performance of energy efficiency measures, synthesize socioeconomic impacts on energy poverty alleviation, assess housing comfort outcomes across various intervention types, and examine the health effects associated with renovation practices. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2015 and 2024, focusing on Romanian urban contexts and comparable European settings. The review identified an uneven geographic distribution of energy retrofits, substantial energy savings of 30–70% resulting from optimized renovation strategies, and partial yet promising evidence of reduced energy poverty. Additionally, measurable improvements in thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality were observed, along with modest but suggestive health benefits, primarily inferred from European studies, such as reduced respiratory and cardiovascular risk. These findings underscore the necessity of integrated approaches that connect technical, socioeconomic, and health considerations to enhance the equity, sustainability, and effectiveness of energy renovation programs. Keywords: energy renovation; energy poverty; housing comfort; health outcomes; apartment buildings; thermal comfort; indoor air quality.