The study concentrates on financial barriers responsible for the persistent energy efficiency gap (IEA, 2007) (not on market barriers). Its goal is to provide an overview of the policy and the institutional framework that has helped overcome those barriers to increased energy efficiency in existing residential buildings, and provides also an assessment of the related policy measures. It provides a set of energy policy measures that can be implemented in the building sector - regulatory and awareness campaigns, direct-funding, support for demand-side management programmes, private-public partnerships and policy package design - as well as several country case studies.