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Energy efficiency (EE) is an integral part of global energy policy, since it helps in tackling climate change and ensures long term security of energy supply. EE investments have a direct effect on reducing energy consumption towards achieving the Europe energy and climate objectives, while driving economic growth. However, it remains a challenge how to identify which investments could foster sustainable growth, while having the capacity to meet their commitments. To identify such projects and ensure the effectiveness of their financing, it is important to involve relevant actors whose engagement is key to enlighten the challenge of identifying EE investments. To this end, what type of effort should be used for each target group needs to be analysed, while participatory activities should be followed to foster their contribution. The aim of this paper is to propose a stakeholder consultation framework and provide evidence from its impact in EE financing. Analysis showed that effective consultation with high engagement was ensured achieving successful decision making of EE project towards sustainability. The impact analysis of the methodology is elaborated within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Triple-A project. The results of the research reveal how important stakeholder engagement is in conveying project message and activities, making it popular among the interested communities, attracting key actors and, achieving project results. To this end, the methodological steps could be independently used in other sectors of activity, acting as an effective stakeholder engagement action plan, providing alternative dissemination and exploitation means that could enhance this engagement.

Increasing energy demand plays a significant part in greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution, contributing to climate change. Energy Efficiency (EE) is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy consumption while maintaining an equivalent level of economic activity. To this end, private investments are considered necessary in increasing EE by updating building stock and industry processes. The Triple-A Tools facilitate energy efficiency stakeholders by evaluating the risks and maturity of their investment ideas, benchmarking them and identifying the most bankable ones while matching them with state-of-the-art green financing schemes. The Triple-A Web-Based Database incorporates data on the fundamental aspects of EE financing, contributing significantly to upscaling EE investments, making them more attractive to investors while providing a better understanding of their framework to project developers. The Triple-A Tools and Database establish a one-stop-shop approaAch orientated towards energy efficiency stakeholders, facilitating project developers to benchmark their projects in a standardised way while also providing a hub to investors to finance bankable green projects.

Standardisation is an essential element in various sectors to avoid conflict, duplication of effort and establish a common language between key actors. Even though Energy Efficiency (EE) is a high priority for the European Union (EU), it lacks common standardisation procedures and methods among interested parties. EE investment ideas usually lack a common framework on which projects are considered profitable and merit attention by investors, while financing institutions mainly evaluate the creditability of the company that develops the project rather than the project itself. In this framework, the present study proposes a multidimensional benchmarking approach for the identification of bankable EE project ideas. The methodology aims to set the pace for EE project developers and investors to establish a consensus based on which EE investments are bankable. Unlike other approaches, the proposed methodology establishes an integrated approach, especially in terms of variety of investors and financing options, taking into consideration all possible benefits of EE investments, providing awareness concerning their compliance with the EU Taxonomy, deploying KPIs and thresholds broadly used by EE and financing sector, and providing a hub in which these projects could be financed. The benchmarking deploys outcomes that have emerged from lessons learnt, databases of already financed projects, and stakeholders’ consultation to ensure that the evaluation is in line with market needs.

Stakeholder engagement is the process of involving stakeholders in dialogue in order to determine their views, concerns and experience about a specific problem, and to determine economic, social and environmental factors that can improve the decision making. Successful engagement necessitates researchers to begin engagement early in the research process by developing a strategy and defining the activities based on the target group needs, and to integrate feedback into research processes and outputs. The objective of the present study is to propose a stakeholder engagement approach that aims at closing the gap between project developers and financing bodies and promoting the successful financing and implementation of sustainable energy projects. The proposed methodology aims at identifying the most suitable stakeholder profiles, contact them through a variety of communication means and, finally, engage them through a targeted questionnaire. The questionnaire developed focused on identifying and categorising the main strategies that could mitigate the risks hinder the financing of sustainable energy projects. Apart from the energy sector, the proposed methodology could be also used as a basis for the development of stakeholder engagement plans in different sectors of activity.

Energy Efficiency investments in buildings have a direct effect on reducing energy consumption towards achieving the European Union’s (EU) energy and climate objectives for 2030 and 2050 while also driving economic growth. The present manuscript aims to propose a methodology that may boost the implementation of energy efficiency investments in the building sector. It provides an overview of the present energy efficiency conditions of the Greek building stock, along with the latest updates and trends regarding the policy framework and market architecture that support the implementation of potential investments in the building sector. In particular, the research conducted explores how European directives are adapted to the Greek legislative framework, also including the alignment to EU’s overarching goal for carbon neutrality by 2050, providing also briefing details on the national energy efficiency financing schemes and the tendencies and updates regarding the mobilisation of private financing. In order to further analyse the current situation in the Greek building stock, a consultation approach has been utilised involving highly relevant stakeholders, gathering their input, and depicting it in statistical results. The methodology focuses on multi-family apartment buildings in Greece, and it includes a survey regarding the energy efficiency of the Greek building stock, as well as a literature review that will facilitate energy efficiency stakeholders portraying the complete picture of the financing possibilities and the policy and legislative framework that applies to Greece concerning energy efficiency. The survey identifies the main barriers and difficulties that policymakers and energy efficiency professionals are facing when developing a feasibility plan for increasing energy efficiency measures in the building sector. Finally, the results of the research and the stakeholders’ perception reveal that there is a dire need for state-of-the-art tools and databases that could provide valuable services in the building sector, such as the Building Renovation Passports (BRPs), closing the gap between energy efficiency project developers and financing institutes, providing access to financing instruments and, thus, boosting the implementation of energy efficiency actions in buildings.