Boosting deep renovation in Nordic Countries

Buildings are a strategic sector for energy policy. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive together with the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Renewable Energy Sources Directive, define a framework that creates the conditions for long term improvements in the energy performance of Europe's building stock. The Article 4 of EED requires Member States "to establish a long-term strategy beyond 2020 for mobilising investment in the renovation of residential and commercial buildings". The Member States have developed their first renovation strategies in 2014 and will update them in 2017. These strategies have been assessed. Countries in the early stages of the energy efficient building construction get easily good estimates because they could present plenty of Kyoto pyramid theory style new openings. If the energy performance is poor, it is easy to get big energy savings by reducing consumption what is the foundation for energy efficient building stock according Kyoto Pyramid. In the Nordic Countries energy efficient building construction has been for decades "business as usual" so big savings are not achievable. This paper discusses whether the Kyoto pyramid of priorities could be seen as steps. The sensible energy efficiency improvement measures depend on the step where member state is. If energy performance of buildings is already good, the investments should be head to enhance energy efficiency and promotion of renewable energies.