German Retrofit Policy in Context

Abstract

EU member states are committed to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), including a 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. Most European countries have adopted market-led policies to meet these targets, relying on voluntary take-up by homeowners. Some impose taxes on energy inefficiency, but there is reluctance to do this due to issues of inspection, control, unpredictability, the vulnerability of lowincome households, and political sensitivity. Most EU countries offer subsidies for thermal retrofits, though research suggests a weak relationship between subsidies and the diffusion of thermal efficiency technologies. Germany and Finland, for example, rely heavily on technical fixes and deep retrofits, though there are technical and economic difficulties with the depth of thermal improvement demanded. All European policies seem to lack tools to address the energy saving potential of behavioral change, although based on evidence to date occupant behavior can have important implications for the effectiveness of policy instruments. © Springer-Verlag London 2013.