What effect could the adaption of policies to building structure and demographic development achieve in German cities?

This paper assesses the retrofit related, theoretical energy savings potential, amended by the impact of demographic development. This amended potential indicates how, and under what conditions, the adoption of retrofit policies to the local demographic development can be favourable. Why should one look at demographic development? On one hand, growing cities have increased price levels and more intense space usage. These factors make better renovations more economically and ecologically feasible. On the other hand, the increased potential of vacancy in shrinking cities leaves cost recovery and energy savings at risk. Thus, there is reason to wonder, whether policies adapted to local conditions could direct renovation investments towards significantly greater energy savings, at less overall systemic cost. We have therefore developed an approach to evaluate this consideration.