Economic parameters in the evaluation studies focusing on building energy efficiency : a review of the underlying rationale, data sources, and assumptions

A growing literature has highlighted the variables and parameters that most affect the technical feasibility and the economic viability of the measures meant to improve building energy efficiency. This paper discusses the results of a literature review, which focuses on the studies that deal with three economic parameters: the price to be paid for the energy supply, the energy inflation rate, and the discount rate used to convert future cash flows to a present value, namely, an upfront lump-sum equivalent. A specific co-occurrence analysis of terms is performed on the titles and abstracts of the examined documents. The representation of the results allows recognizing several significant clusters and network relationships. Moreover, that literature review enables to identify two well-established research strands. The first involves the relationship between energy prices and the profitability of efficiency-related investments. The second research branch points at the pivotal role played by the discount rate when evaluating the investments in energy-efficient measures.