Rehabilitation of private buildings

Principally the same approach as for community owned or used buildings can be applied to private buildings including residential and commercial buildings.

The following aspects should be considered additionally:

• Provide professional services: As private owners cannot fall back on professional human resources in similar way, the provision of a neutral agency, who can offer the required services - energy accounting, measure and investment planning, financing through contracting, etc - gains more importance.

• Subsidies: Examples from Europe show, that building rehabilitation measures are a first-class example for the application of subsidies to stimulate such activities in the private sector. A smaller percentage contribution to the total investment costs is usally sufficient to start the campaign in the first years. When the system is running and the benefits are obvious such subsidies should be removed again. An alternative or additional subsidy could be to provide energy consulting services for free in form of a contribution in kind. You can make this approach mandatory, in so far no grant for investments will be given without prior consultation.

• Facility management: Until now and even in Europe and even for big commercial buildings professional facility management is broadly missing. A city should promote such services. The energy savings resulting will easy justify such an investment.

• Obstacles to be aware: To loosen up resistance it is quite necessary that the community gives some good examples in advance.

• Effects: Are similar to that of community owned buildings.