Abstract The emergence of climate change and energy efficiency have amplified the need for energy policies at large scales. The criticality and dimensions of such problems are reflected in the energy policies of many countries and regions; however, the implementation of energy policies in an effective manner along with the assessment of their success have not been investigated in detail. Energy policies often derive from broad strategic goals and may not include specific or operational implementation plans. Accordingly, the effectiveness of those energy policies is also evaluated at the strategic level, which may fail to appropriately evaluate the policy performance at lower levels. This paper proposes an approach that enables policy- and decision-makers to assess the effectiveness of energy policies at strategic, tactical, and operational (STO) levels. This approach herein referred to as the “STO framework” enables assessing energy policies in terms of both the strategic goal achievements and the implementation details. Results of this study illuminate potential advantages and limitations of using the STO framework as an energy policy assessment tool. Moreover, findings of this study suggest that the strategic, tactical and operational levels should be identified explicitly in future energy policies in order to improve their effectiveness.