The present report provides guidance on the main concepts regarding building renovation and aims to set a common language for communication between local authorities, professionals, researchers, inhabitants and, in general, all the stakeholders and international partners. Each term is defined in the context and scope of IEA EBC Annex 75, namely building renovations at the district level, and combines definitions from the European legal framework, common definitions of English dictionaries, related projects, research papers, and other professional@en

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

This report aims to identify both barriers that hinder energy-efficient renovation of buildings and drivers enabling the implementation of energy and cost-effective renovation of buildings and energy supply systems at the district level. Fifteen success stories regarding barriers and drivers were analysed in the first step. These success stories consisted of projects from seven European countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) where energy-efficient and/or renewable energy measures had been successfully implemented at the district level. In the next step, different stakeholders involved in energy renovations at the district level were interviewed about their experiences to identify barriers and drivers. In total, 39 in-depth interviews from eight countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) were carried out. The stakeholders included policymakers, renovation solution suppliers, energy solution suppliers, clients and beneficiaries, financing intermediaries and other intermediaries. The barriers and drivers were divided into the following categories: policy, legal aspects, economic aspects, social aspects, communication, technical aspects, and knowledge and training.@en

The present report aims to identify the key characteristics of business models important for upscaling business from the building to the district level. Understanding those characteristics and gaining insights about the opportunities the BMs offer for the different stakeholders will support the implementation of the renovation and the stakeholder dialogue. The methods implemented in the study included desk research and quantitative analysis of semi-structured interviews.@en

IEA EBC Annex 75 aims to investigate, amongst other policy for reducing carbon emissions and energy use in buildings at district level, combining both energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures. Particularly policy instruments deployed at the local level targeting owners and investors could increase residential building renovation and renewable energy systems to a district scale. A desk and empirical research using 38 expert interviews from 8 European countries was used to investigate the use and development of various types of policy instruments, including regulations, incentives, communication and facilitating instruments. The research confirms interest of frontrunners to use or develop specific policy instruments further, such as enforcement of energy standards and inspections, financial incentives for district stakeholders and for groups of homeowners, renovation services and energy desks, digital communication and network meetings in districts. It also finds that low relative advantage for some stakeholders, lack of good examples, an incompatible legal or national framework and high complexity are serious risks that can further hinder adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy systems in districts. Renovations at district scale including energy efficiency and renewable energy can benefit from adapted or improved regulations, incentives, communication and facilitation to better support renovations at district scale including energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.@en