engleski

Communication Challenges in Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Croatia Case

As climate change has become a growing concern, sustainable development has become increasingly important. Emissions reduction is a key step for more efficient energy use. The European Parliament implemented the Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU), which establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. The building sector is the largest energy consumer in the EU ; the new policies implement rules on the energy performance of buildings. In the last few years, the residential building sector in Croatia has received financial support for multi-dwelling building energy efficiency retrofits. However, some of these projects encountered difficulties due to information asymmetry between the key participants. This study addresses the problem from the perspective of the principal–agent theory, which is concerned with information asymmetry and its repercussions. A social network analysis is conducted to reflect the operation and management details of Croatian multi-dwelling buildings. The key stakeholders of energy efficiency retrofits are mapped, along with the contractual and communication ties between them. The analysis stresses the importance of the key relationship between owner representatives and property managers. Trust between them encourages communication and cooperation during project development. This study demonstrates that close cooperation between all stakeholders is essential for satisfactory project completion.

Communication ; Croatia ; Energy efficiency retrofits ; Multi-dwelling buildings ; Principal–agent theory ; Social network analysis

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