In European countries, buildings are the major energy consumers due to the general low energy performance of the existing building stock. To achieve the ambitioned targets for emissions reduction, it will be necessary to take actions for its large scale renovation. However, today's standards are mainly focused on new buildings, guiding the improvement of the energy performance of the existing buildings into expensive processes and complex procedures that seldom are accepted by users, owners or promoters.

A new analysis framework is developed and applied to assess the benefits of building energy efficiency policies and programs. One of the main advantages of the new energy productivity analysis is that it accounts for both economic and energy performances of energy efficiency actions using only one metric. Specifically, the approach applies the concept of energy productivity to the building sector and accounts for both value added and energy savings of energy efficiency measures.

The German government has developed a variety of policy instruments intended to reduce national CO2 emissions. These instruments include a programme administered by KfW bank, which aims at improving the energy efficiency of buildings. It provides attractive credit conditions or subsidies to finance refurbishment measures which improve the energy efficiency of buildings significantly. The refurbishment programme leads to a reduction in energy use, which benefits private investors by reducing their energy bills.

The Bali Province Technical Guidelines (written in Indonesian) for Implementing Green Buildings in the Context of Clean Energy represent a collaborative effort between the Bali Provincial Government, Global Building Performance Network (GBPN), and support from CORE Udayana. Developed through extensive studies and analysis from November 2021 to June 2022, the guidelines engage stakeholders from the Provincial Government Bali, Professional Expert Team, universities, associations, private sectors, and professionals in building and clean energy.

The Samarinda City Technical Guidelines represent a strategic initiative aligned with the city's development goals, as outlined in Mayor Regulation No. 55 of 2021. These guidelines meticulously consider the potential savings and additional benefits achievable through the implementation of energy and water-efficient measures, aiming to significantly reduce carbon emissions in buildings. Spearheaded by the Samarinda City Government, this effort reflects a commitment to fostering an environmentally friendly and sustainable urban landscape.