A significant improvement in energy efficiency is crucial for the success of the energiewende. Energy efficiency plays an important role in reducing primary energy demand and fuel costs, and in many cases, it constitutes the least-cost option for GHG emissions reduction. Other benefits arise...

While the first phase of the energiewende, focusing on the electricity sector, was largely successful, the second phase needs to focus on all energy usage, especially heat, transportation, and usage as a raw material in the chemical industry. In that context, intensified "sector coupling" will...

EuroPACE is an innovative financial mechanism inspired by an American building improvement initiative called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). The innovative character of the EuroPACE mechanism is that financing through EuroPACE is linked to the taxes paid on a property. In other words, the...