Deliverable 3.1: Country specific factors - report of findings in WP3

The implementation of EPBD was complete or close to completion in all the countries. The most commonly reported public policy measures in use were ones relating to information dissemination and subsidies for energy efficiency retrofits. Regulations, ecological taxation, subsidies for renewables and Research and Development (R & D) activities were also commonly cited. In most countries, a large number of separate programs and initiatives were cited. Some form of coordination between these initiatives leading to a more strategic approach to energy efficiency seems to be missing in most countries. Many stakeholders and professionals mention in the interviews that a common problem for consumers is finding neutral, unbiased information. Also noteworthy is that little attention seems to be given to specific training efforts to improve the skills of the people implementing the energy efficiency improvements, even though the lack of skills was a commonly cited barrier to further improvements. Based on the results of the questionnaires concerning the housing stock in the participating countries, a preliminary estimate of energy savings potential has been calculated. The greatest savings potential can be found in Germany, this is expected because of its large housing stock. In relative terms the highest savings potential appears to be in Bulgaria, where there are ample opportunities to save energy and the cost of renovations appears to be lower than in most other countries. In general, it seems that cost effective energy savings of about 10% can be achieved by 2020 in most countries and 20% by 2030. A total annual energy saving of approximately 150 TWh by 2020 and 280 TWh by 2030 appears possible. This can be compared to the total annual primary energy consumption of 21 000 TWh in all EU countries combined.