The ABRACADABRA project is developing a toolkit, targeting policy makers, with a focus on regulatory challenges and opportunities for boosting energy retrofitting of buildings. For this purpose, the project will investigate regulatory issues, as well as available good practices, in the project’s target countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Spain, and the Netherlands).

The aim is to support Public Administrations in charge of territorial and building regulation in estimating the right type and amount of possible Add-ons, in order to achieve a sustainable and cost-efficient business model for tenants, developers and owners, and avoiding over-estimation of proposed add-ons.

Major regulatory obstacles in relation to add-ons, notably linked to property rights, tenancy and condominium law as well as local and urban planning rules will be addressed. Different configurations of Add-ons will be considered in order to support the selection of the best option on a case-based approach to overcome legal planning and urban rules at local level, condominium decision-making rules, and tenancy contractual arrangements. Environmental as well social sustainability criteria will be investigated and will represent key elements of the recommendations provided.

The Toolkit will include:

1. Background on the problem and barriers.
2. Available experiences in understanding and tackling the problem and overcoming the barriers.
3. Background information for understanding the topic from the different angles.
4. The proposed solution, with pro and cons (maybe a SWOT analysis).

The toolkit has been developed through a combination of desk research and interviews to specific stakeholders. The aim of these interviews is to assess the regulatory framework in the national, local and EU context, identify key regulatory and non-regulatory challenges and seek appropriate response recommendations, and highlight best practices with high replication potential, and what makes them work.