Feasibility of energy saving renovation measures in urban buildings. The impact of energy prices and the acceptable pay back time criterion.

Energy renovation of existing buildings can be of varying value as regards improving thermal conditions and energy savings, and economic restrictions. A series of studies have been done since 1994 in Northern Greece, with its cold and prolonged heating season, aimed at approaching the problem and developing viable proposals. Public and mixed-use buildings act as so-called 'pilot-demonstrator' buildings in the study. The paper presents the results of a study aimed at determining the potential of energy saving renovation measures, in a representative sample of buildings under realistic conditions, to assess the feasibility of the measures, and the way in which it is being analysed, under changing economic conditions, in view of the fact that low energy prices have prevailed over the last ten years.