Gaps in tools assessing the energy implications of renovation versus rebuilding decisions

•Use of energy assessment tools is lacking in rebuild versus renovation decisions.•Partial LCAs in building certification schemes can suboptimize total energy efficiency.•Scaling of tools to neighborhood level leaves gaps in energy quantification.•Filling gaps require use of macro tools to quantify the energy between buildings, and other aspects of building design (water use, materials toxicity, life cycle costs, safety and security) aiming for holistic sustainability.•Urban metabolism could potentially aid large scale rebuild versus renovation decisions.

The state of building stocks changes over time. Owners and municipalities face the choice to renovate or rebuild buildings to improve energy efficiency. This review addresses how current sustainability assessment tools support these decisions. It finds that advanced tools are better tailored to evaluate project level energy-related decisions than at larger scales. Information gaps identified within assessment tools lead to uncertainty for decision makers about which option improves energy efficiency. In the case of a number of large-scale EU building renovating/renewing projects these tools have been scarcely used or merely suggested during planning. Recent advances in sustainability assessment tools can begin to close some of the existing knowledge gaps, while incentives and stricter legislation may improve their usage rates.