Despite the substantial efforts made to develop sound energy efficiency policies, the desired effects in terms of achieved energy savings are lacking. This phenomenon is known as the energy efficiency gap and has been extensively investigated in the literature. Barrier models to explain the gap are primarily oriented towards the technical aspects of energy efficiency and often disregard its social aspects. The aim of our research was to identify the social structures that play a prominent role in moving society towards greater energy efficiency, to investigate their perceptions of the levers for and brakes to greater participation in the implementation of energy efficiency measures and to provide recommendations for policy enhancement. Four groups of stakeholders were identified: public institutions, businesses, civil society organisations and the media. A survey was administered to 93 representatives of these groups in Croatia. The results indicate that to encourage the society to adopt energy efficiency improvements, it is crucial for public institutions to play a leading role with the support of strong and visible political commitment. The level of benefit recognition among all groups is weak, which together with the slow progression of dialogue between and within the analysed groups is preventing full policy uptake. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.