Purpose – The aim of this review article is to identify a number of key research efforts related to decision making tools in building refurbishment projects and selected energy efficiency efforts in the built environment. Following these findings a proposed research area with focus on energy in the building environment will be suggested for further investigation.

Design/methodology/approach – Through a multilateral review study, a number of major research efforts in sustainable refurbishment are highlighted. The necessity of directing future research towards energy conservation is illustrated for a specific approach to developing the built environment.

Findings – The findings of this article identify high performance thermal insulation solutions as one of the promising approaches to significant energy consumption reductions in buildings.

Research limitations/implications – This review study is solely limited to the revisited research directions.

Originality/value – This study successfully identifies a number of decision making tools related to building refurbishment and an initial research path in favor of building energy consumption reductions.

A large part of the available energy in the European Union is used for space heating of houses. This utilized energy presents an economical challenge as well as an environmental problem that ultimately must be dealt with by reducing the thermal losses through the climatic envelope. This reduction however, is intricate due to the spatial constraints in designated living areas and complexities arising from retrofitting of historical and cultural façades of the existing building stock. In light of the aforementioned problems, Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) may provide attractive solutions as they employ a thickness about one tenth of the required thickness, when using conventional insulation materials. This study contains a comparative analysis of VIP and traditional insulation materials and several other means of retrofitting in terms of life cycle energy and costs. Particular attention is given to the comparison of exterior and interior applications of VIP and the effects on the thermal bridges at the joints between the external wall and the adjacent floor slabs and balconies.

A case study on a multistory building is carried out with emphasis on sustainability and environmental impacts upon refurbishment, in comparison to the existing building performance. The study concerns a multistory building, established during the 1960s in Sweden, as an incentive of the Swedish government’s building strategy “The Million Unit Program”. In this article the difference in utilized insulation techniques in comparison to present building strategies is addressed with a simulation approach. In particular, results are presented for the estimated energy usage for heating calculated in conformity with EN ISO 13790 and based on a dynamic method for buildings prior to and after refurbishment with Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP). The economic and environmental benefits of a potential refurbishment are further highlighted in relation to the existing building performance.