Energy Efficiency Directive: Agreement sends important signal on role of energy efficiency
After a 16-hour long round of negotiations, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). While EuroACE had hoped for more ambition, the final agreement represents an improvement over the 2018 version. Critical now is the implementation at national level and EuroACE and its members call on Member States to take the new objectives into account in their revised National Energy and Climate Plans. The upcoming vote on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) also needs to follow suit.
Almost a year after the publication of the REPowerEU Communication, the European Parliament and the Council struck an agreement, raising Europe’s ambition on energy efficiency. While the 11.7% target adopted is far below the industry’s demands, the final text contains some positive elements:
Adrian Joyce, Secretary General of EuroACE
For the first time, the Europe Union sets itself a binding energy efficiency target, and a mechanism to enforce it. This addresses one of the main weaknesses of the previous Energy Efficiency Directive. The agreement also includes a legal definition of the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle, which should become a guiding principle for the EPBD and be rolled out in concrete projects.
The deal also confirmed the role of the public sector in leading the uptake of efficiency solutions. The agreement requires public bodies to achieve an annual energy consumption reduction of 1.9% across their activities and to renovate at least 3% of the total floor area of buildings owned by public bodies each year.
