Being the first of its kind, this study provides an overview of no less than 150 German promotional schemes for energy efficiency. It examines the impact and performance of these schemes in Germany and briefly evaluates whether they could be used as models for energy efficiency promotion in India. In doing so, the study focuses on financial incentive mechanisms for the building and industry sectors. Given the large number of promotional programmes, 21 clusters have been built to group and assess similar programmes together. The clusters cover issues like the construction of energy efficient buildings, energy efficient refurbishments of buildings, implementation of energy management systems in industries or the foundation of regional energy agencies. For assessment of the clusters, a set of eight parameters has been developed and applied, ranging from cost-effectiveness and job creation to capacity building and market penetration. The overview study was carried out within the framework of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), a cooperation between India and Germany in the field of sustainable energy production and use. Both the Forum and this study serve the overall aim of supporting the identification of potential future areas of closer cooperation between India and Germany and establishing a positive environment for the promotion of energy efficiency in both countries.