This report, therefore, focuses on the following objectives:
- Give an overview of various policy options that could target the district level, considering existing and emerging policy instruments with the potential to be successfully applied within that context, and how policy challenges specifically occurring in an urban context can be overcome;
- Develop, test and use a methodology which can be applied to identify best-practice policy instruments for specific districts by evaluating stakeholder’s acceptance of proposed policy instruments and the effects and impacts stakeholders expect for reducing carbon emissions and energy use in buildings in cities at the district level, combining both energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures;
- Illustrate the development and assessment of innovative local policy instruments that could target the district level for achieving energy renovations and renewable energy systems;
- Provide the necessary background for recommendations to policymakers and their key partners on how they can influence the uptake of cost-effective combinations of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures in building renovation at the district level.@en

The guidebook illustrates that the district, as an action level for building renovation, allows for synergies through combinations of energy efficiency measures and measures that promote the use of renewable energy and opportunities for stakeholders to cooperate, compared to an individual building approach. But building renovation at the district level also presents challenges. These include high upfront costs, a long payback time, and risks of not being implemented due to a potential withdrawal of some building owners at different stages. However, the studies also show that often the opportunities are greater than the challenges in district approaches, even if the cost-effectiveness of certain measures may not necessarily be one of these opportunities.
One main conclusion from IEA EBC Annex 75 is that assessments must be carried out for each district renovation project since no "ready-made" or "one size fits all" solutions exist. Still, several techno-economic potentials for district solutions are apparent. Furthermore, the research indicates that the best renovation solutions for a district-level renovation depend on the district's starting situation. The building insulation level, the installed heating/cooling systems, the availability of renewable energy sources and the possibility of integrating renewable energy are determining factors.@en

A comprehensive and detailed Guidebook was prepared to provide target group-oriented recommendations for policymakers and investors/decision-makers. As a supplement to this Guidebook, two complementary versions offer more straightforward guidelines oriented to each target audience, with a summary of the main recommendations. This document provides guidance for policymakers only.@en