Public Consultation: Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) revision

EuroACE responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the review of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).

The revision of RED II should be undertaken in full coherence with the revisions of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Their full alignment is a stepping stone towards more ambitious 2030 climate targets and the 2050 climate-neutrality goal. The Energy Efficiency First principle should be used as a guiding principle across the whole ‘Fit for 55 Package’.

In our view, decarbonising buildings can only happen by first deploying holistic energy demand reduction measures, followed by the decarbonisation of the energy supply using renewable sources of energy. Electrification becomes technically feasible, cost-effective and accepted by consumers if done together with improving buildings’ energy performance and smart-readiness first.

Smart and highly energy efficient buildings can greatly contribute to a decarbonised and integrated energy system. Building automation and control systems give owners and tenants real data to make more informed decisions, and enable the use of renewable energy to be managed at district level.

Finally, EuroACE only sees a viable role for renewable hydrogen in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, such as energy-intensive industries and freight transport, and discourages its use for heating and hot water in buildings.