Between State and Market

The Adoption of Renovation Passports in the Netherlands

Master Thesis (2026)
Author(s)

E.R. van der Bijl (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)

Contributor(s)

H.J. Visscher – Mentor (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)

R. Elgendy – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)

A. Mulder – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)

Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Coordinates
4.3556,52.0067
Graduation Date
15-06-2026
Awarding Institution
Delft University of Technology
Programme
Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences, Management in the Built Environment
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
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Abstract

Despite ambitious European and national sustainability goals, the amount of energy renovations in the Netherlands stays behind. Various instruments are promoted by the EU to support energy-efficient renovation to achieve these goals, yet there is insufficient understanding of how Building Renovation Passports (BRP) can be effectively embedded within existing governance structures, policy frameworks, and market practices in order to support the adoption of these BRPs. Therefore, the main research question of this research is how policy instruments can support the adoption of renovation passports in the Netherlands. This study combines a literature review, organisational ethnography, semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The literature review analyses policy frameworks and incentive barriers for BRPs to identify gaps between theory and practice. During the interviews, the values and roles of the actors and their perceived barriers are researched and analysed. Five unresolved matters are discussed in a focus group. Triangulation is used to improve validity and credibility. Together, these qualitative methods support an abductive–deductive approach to answer the main research question. The main objective of this research is to support the adoption of renovation passports under private homeowners and to propose policy instruments needed to establish this. With the use of the Policy Compass, various options of policy instruments are explored. The recommended policy instruments for the implementation of BRPs in the Netherlands consist of four main components: an administrative consultation followed by a covenant, decentralisation of tasks to municipalities in combination with supervision of the Dutch government, experiments of the use of BRP with a financial incentive and lastly, a complete set of policy rules and general information to support the recommended policy instruments. This research is relevant for policy makers in energy renovations as well as academics in the built environment, specifically for renovations and the energy transition.

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