Due to the strengthening of regulations and codes on building energy performance, as well as with the application of national legislations regarding energy management and efficiency, existing industrial facilities are using thermal refurbishment and renovation as impetus for increasing their overall energy efficiency. This paper analyzes a building envelope refurbishment for a case study of an existing historical industrial facility. Critical parameters affecting energy performance of industrial buildings were identified by reviewing relevant literate. Two retrofit scenarios were developed and dynamic thermal simulation using EnergyPlus was implemented to evaluate the potential for improvement. Thereby the impact of interior loads was considered, determined by measurements conducted on factory machines, occupancy and lighting operation patterns. However, information regarding constructions of the existing facility and installed technical building services is limited. There is also uncertainty in the quantification of natural ventilation air change rate for such buildings. To overcome these limitations a study of various material databases was carried out, in order to assess data for building envelope composition. Input values for missing data were provided based on literature, allowing a fair comparison between refurbishment alternatives. Simulation results showed that the heating demand of the facility could be reduced up to 52%, indicating a significant potential for energy savings. Beyond that, thermal performance against summer overheating also depicted considerable improvements as regards to hours exceeding thermal comfort levels. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.