Investments in energy efficiency are often hindered by barriers such as high upfront costs, lack of access to finance, high perceived risk, lack of trust in new technologies, competing investment priorities, lack of knowledge, awareness and personal resources, and split incentives.

Many of these barriers can be overcome with well-designed financial tools and instruments. When coupled with complementary measures such as policies, regulations, awareness-raising and behaviour changing initiatives, and business models for energy efficiency solutions, sustainable long-term impact can be reached.

In order to overcome these barriers, ICLEI Member Lappeenranta (Finland) worked with a number of other partners to develop a toolbox, which provides building owners and managers with a set of financial tools and instruments for risk management to support the implementation of more energy efficient measures, developed, and improved in real cases.

The tools can be divided into two categories: financial instruments and supportive tools. Financial instruments are more complex tools which help to finance or optimise investments in energy efficiency projects.

Whereas, supportive tools help to achieve the goal of energy efficiency projects. They can be used as part of a financial instrument or separately.

The toolkit was developed as part of the EFFECT4buildings project.

For more information and to access the toolbox, click here.