BEEM-UP will demonstrate the economic, social and technical feasibility of retrofitting initiatives, drastically reducing the energy consumption in existing buildings, and lay the ground for massive market uptake. BEEM-UP involves the building owners at 3 sites in France, Sweden and the Netherlands to implement an innovative approach to go beyond a 75% reduction in space heat energy consumption, in addition to reducing the total energy consumption. Ambitious energy reduction will be demonstrated as the economically most attractive alternative for retrofitting.In integrated design the building owners, industry, designers and energy experts collaborate around the building to reach a higher performance and be more adapted to the tenant needs than if just plugging in separate solutions are used. New concepts will be identified that can be replicated in further retrofit projects.An ambitious monitoring programme to demonstrate the reduction in energy consumption will accompany the whole process, including a period of at least two years after the retrofit. This technical monitoring will be complemented with a social monitoring, focusing on the acceptance of the occupant.A whole programme is designated to involve the occupants in the retrofit. ICT systems (smart metering and building control) will encourage and support energy savings.The main challenge is to turn energy reduction in existing buildings into standard option on the market. Going beyond pure demonstration, BEEM-UP will be develop and exploitation plan based on green value, actively disseminate across Europe, and interact with stakeholders, to create a solid demand for energy reductions by building owners, and make BEEM-UP a model for future retrofits. Before 2020, all retrofit projects in Europe will target ambitious energy reductions: not because it is “compulsory and good”, but because it is the most attractive alternative.