Experience of Policy Instruments for Energy Efficiency in Buildings in the Nordic Countries

The Nordic countries have often been seen as “fore-runners” of energy efficiency in buildings in terms of both 1) the implementation of policy instruments and 2) the evaluation of actual effects. Since the 1970s, the Nordic countries have introduced a range of policy instruments for energy conservation in buildings. Interestingly, there are contrasting policy “styles” and experiences across the Nordic countries – to the extent that we can talk about a Swedish way, Finnish way, Danish way, and Norwegian way. An important challenge is how we can learn from Nordic experiences and improve the implementation and evaluation of policy instruments for energy efficiency.

The aim of this study is to make a compilation (or inventory) of policy instruments for energy efficiency in buildings in the Nordic countries, report the results of evaluations of such instruments, and analyse and discuss how to advance the important learning processes related to policy instruments for energy efficiency. The study focuses on policy instruments for energy efficiency in the building sector, including building codes, subsides, labels and declarations, information campaigns, and taxes. Policy instruments for appliances within buildings are a secondary consideration in the study.