Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the policies and decision-making processes surrounding the thermal efficiency retrofit of residential buildings in Germany. It outlines the government's goal to reduce primary energy demand in buildings by 80% by 2050 and examines the barriers and levers—including information tools, financial incentives, and contractor certification—needed to increase both the rate and depth of retrofits.

This report, based on a study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) at DIW Berlin, evaluates the effectiveness of the energy performance certificate (Energieausweis) in influencing home-buying decisions in Germany. Based on a survey of 662 home buyers, the report finds that while the certificate is widely known, it currently has a low impact on purchase decisions due to poor communication of ancillary costs, low availability during the selection process, and the low priority buyers place on energy efficiency compared to other property features.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) at DIW Berlin analyzes the challenges and policy instruments required to meet the German government's goals for energy-efficient building renovations. Based on a survey of 2,000 households, it identifies barriers across three phases of the decision-making process—initial interest, planning, and implementation—and suggests improvements in information delivery, financial incentives, and craftsman certification to increase both the rate and scope of renovations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) maps the policy landscape for thermal energy efficiency in Germany's residential building sector. It categorizes policies into financial instruments, information tools, and performance standards, analyzing how they interact to drive energy demand reductions. The document details specific federal programs, their objectives, and their estimated impacts on building owners and contractors.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) reviews information instruments designed to promote energy efficiency retrofits in the residential building stock, with a primary focus on Germany and supporting evidence from international case studies. The document categorizes these tools based on the stage of the homeowner's decision-making process: moving uninterested households toward consideration, assisting those in the planning phase, and training the professionals who implement the retrofits.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the decision-making process of 2,000 German owners of single- and two-family houses regarding thermal efficiency retrofits. The study categorizes households into non-planning, planning, and action stages to identify how motivations, financial barriers, and information sources evolve throughout the process. Key findings highlight that while building appearance is a primary initial trigger, financial concerns and the desire for thermal comfort and energy savings become more prominent as households move toward implementation.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the implementation of nodal pricing in power markets, primarily drawing on experiences from US Independent System Operators (ISOs) and the Iberian power market. It addresses the costs of transition, mechanisms for hedging locational price differences, the role of ISOs in system security, and the integration of variable renewables like wind and hydro power.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative evaluates the potential for tax incentives to support thermal retrofits in Germany, comparing them with existing KfW loan and grant programs and international experiences from Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the potential role of tax incentives in helping the German government achieve its goal of reducing primary energy demand in the building sector by 80% by 2050. The document compares international experiences with tax credits in Italy, the Netherlands, and the USA against the existing grant and loan programs provided by the KfW banking group.

This report evaluates information tools used to reduce energy demand in existing residential buildings, specifically focusing on thermal retrofits in Germany and internationally. It categorizes tools into three groups: those that raise awareness of benefits (e.g., detailed billing, smart meters, local leadership programs), those that assist in planning and investment (e.g., energy audits, online tools), and those that train professionals (e.g., certification schemes). Key findings indicate that normative feedback in billing and peer-to-peer networks are cost-effective, while the effectiveness of smart meters depends heavily on user education. The report emphasizes that the quality and independence of professional advice are critical for homeowner trust and investment decisions.

This briefing from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) outlines a study initiated in late 2010 to analyze how national and international policies impact the development and cost reduction of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The document describes the motivations for the study, the primary policy questions being addressed, and the analytical framework used to evaluate policy effectiveness across the PV value chain.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the economic viability, financial requirements, and energy savings associated with achieving the German government's 2010 Energy Concept targets for residential thermal retrofits. The report focuses on the feasibility of increasing the annual retrofit rate to 2% and the necessity of 'deep' retrofits to meet a target of reducing the building sector's primary energy requirement by 80% by 2050.

This 2011 briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the economic feasibility and financial requirements for achieving the German government's energy concept goals for residential building renovations. The report focuses on the costs of comprehensive renovations, the subsidies needed to increase the renovation rate to 2%, and the resulting energy savings.

The 2010 report by the Climate Policy Initiative reviews China's progress during its 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP), which aimed to reduce energy intensity by 20%. The study finds that China was on track to meet this target, with energy intensity decreasing by 15.6% by the end of 2009. While significant gains were made in the power and industrial sectors through plant closures and technology upgrades, the building and transport sectors saw energy use increase due to urbanization and economic growth. The report notes that many policies were top-down administrative measures that may not be cost-effective for future goals, as much of the 'low-hanging fruit' for efficiency gains has already been utilized.

This executive summary describes the 'European Smart Power Market Project', which evaluates how current EU power market designs affect the transition to low-carbon energy. The project argues that existing regional and zonal pricing models impede the integration of renewable energy and recommends a transition to nodal or locational marginal pricing (LMP) to optimize transmission capacity and reduce costs.

This executive summary outlines a joint study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Climate Strategies regarding the effectiveness of the EU ETS in driving low-carbon investment. It identifies that while the EU ETS provides a foundation for investment, its impact is hindered by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), current International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and short corporate payback expectations, suggesting a need for increased stringency and complementary policies.

This executive summary describes a multi-institute analytical project conducted between February and December 2010 to evaluate whether the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) facilitates a shift toward low-carbon investments. The project assessed the EU ETS's effectiveness in capturing the attention of decision-makers, providing clarity for strategic planning, and creating an enabling environment for project realization.

This research paper analyzes the relative importance of various climate policy elements—specifically the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and long-term climate policy targets—on the investment decisions of European power sector companies. Based on a 2009 survey of 65 power generators and 136 technology providers, the study examines two dimensions of innovation: the adoption of new plants and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities. The findings indicate that climate policies are generally less influential than market factors and technology-specific regulations, though long-term targets are particularly critical for the RD&D activities of technology providers.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that Europe's current power market designs are insufficient to support the transition to a low-carbon energy system and the goals of a smart grid. It advocates for a transition from zonal pricing and market coupling toward an integrated power market based on locational marginal pricing (nodal pricing), citing the US experience as a successful model for managing transmission constraints and integrating intermittent renewable energy.

This report outlines the key takeaways from a workshop held on 14 October 2010 in Venice, hosted by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), the International Center for Climate Governance (IGCC), and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC). The event convened policymakers and experts to discuss the adequacy and productivity of international climate finance, identifying critical gaps in data, the under-tracking of domestic and South-South flows, and the challenges of measuring private sector contributions.