Elevators and escalators have received little attention from an energy efficiency perspective in the past. To close this gap, this paper analyses energy efficiency potentials and suggests policy measures for the European elevator and escalator market. As a precondition, the electrical energy demand of elevators and escalators in the European market is analyzed, based on expert estimations and the results of a monitoring campaign. The estimated current demand is compared to scenarios where the implementation of best available technology for the relevant equipment is assumed and the savings potentials thereof are calculated. The results indicate that considerable technical efficiency potentials exist for elevators (more than 60%) and escalators (around 30%). However, various specific barriers impede the diffusion of these energy-efficient technologies. They include issues like a lack of awareness and relevant information as well as split-incentive problems. The technological analysis is therefore complemented by an investigation of how to overcome these barriers, leading to a set of recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency in the elevator and escalator market. Suitable measures could be implementing standardized methods for electricity measurement, introducing a labeling system and including elevators and escalators in the legislative framework. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.