People in risk groups should not have to get sick or die because the temperature in their home is too high, says Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L). During the hot summer of 2018, excess mortality was estimated at around 700 people in Sweden. Even during the continent's severe heatwaves this summer, excess mortality has been high.
We feel that we want to do something now, so as not to be an afterthought, says the climate minister.
The government has therefore decided to give the Swedish Public Health Agency (FHM) the authority to issue regulations on the maximum permissible indoor temperature for needs-assessed accommodation. There are already general recommendations today that the temperature should not exceed 26 degrees.
It is the Public Health Agency that makes adjustments if they deem a different temperature more appropriate; they have full decision-making power. It is not we who determine the temperature level, says Pourmokhtari.
Causes the most deaths
Formally, the decision means that FHM is moving from being able to give general recommendations to strict requirements, which in turn gives municipalities greater opportunities to tighten the rules and ensure that they are actually complied with. It is also hoped that the tightening will lead to a more equal handling of heatwaves. Regardless of where in the country you live, municipalities should be prepared.
However, no sanctions, such as fines, will be imposed on municipalities that do not comply with the rules.
Heatwaves are the climate effect that causes the most deaths, and they are expected to become both more common and more intense in the future.
It is very important that the state, and in this case the municipalities, take responsibility - especially in needs-assessed housing where you may not always be able to make your voice heard, says Romina Pourmokhtari.
Ready for next summer
The decision is based on a proposal in the Climate Adaptation Inquiry that was submitted in 2025. The minister expects that new strict rules to limit temperatures could be in place by next summer.
The stricter requirements only apply to residential care, not to elderly people who receive home care services at home.
But hopefully this is something you can still use towards your landlord or in other ways, even if you don't live in special accommodation, says Pourmokhtari.
