Brussels, 27 November 2017
Dear ITRE Member of the European Parliament,
We are a group of cross-sectorial companies bringing technologies and services for energy efficiency to the EU market, having factories and office locations in all EU28 Member States.
We would like to urge you to support the Compromise Amendments 1, 4 and 11b on the Revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) to be voted on 28 November in ITRE Committee.
The EU energy efficiency legislative framework post-2020 is fundamental for giving certainty and predictability for investors as in Europe 76% of the financial effort for meeting the Paris Agreement ambition must be in energy efficiency.
The EU 2030 binding 40% energy efficiency target and the continuation of the annual 1.5% energy saving obligation after 2020 are adequate to respect the EU commitments to the Paris Agreement and will unlock the cost-effective potential of energy efficiency investments in buildings and in the entire energy system. Decreasing this ambition would set policy goals below the business-as-usual energy efficiency improvement trajectory and will have no impact on the ground.
The Compromise Amendments 1, 4 and 11b give full flexibility to Member States to adapt the energy saving obligation to their national contexts by choosing obligation schemes and/or alternative measures.
Investments in energy efficiency create essential multiple benefits for our economies, creating local jobs, increasing energy productivity and competitiveness. Energy savings achieved through energy efficiency investments are an enabler of sustainable growth and the energy transition. Decoupling GDP growth and reduction in energy consumption is already a reality and the revised EED must ensure we keep and further support this trajectory.
We welcome the efforts by the European Parliament on the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and consider that consistency and alignment with the EED should be ensured.
We trust that you will support these much-needed enabling policy measures in the revision of the EED, effectively embodying the “Energy Efficiency First” principle.