EU-ASE response to European Commission consultation on climate law

13 February 2020 | Consultations, Latest Activities

According to the Commission LTS, the EU must halve its energy consumption by 2050. Energy efficiency therefore must play a central role in achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Considering that the world economy will triple by 2050 and that global population will increase by nearly 2.3 billion by 2050, energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to decouple economic growth from emissions.

Significant reductions in overall energy demand will come from energy use in buildings. Residential and commercial buildings currently account for 40 % of EU energy consumption – with 75 % of these buildings being built before energy performance standards existed – 36% of emissions and 50% of the total mineral resources extracted from the planet. Most of the housing stock of 2050 already exists and will need to be renovated. Our building stock needs to become net zero carbon, which involves ramping up the rate and depth of renovation and ensuring efficient and decarbonised energy supply in the building sector. The “Renovation Wave” needs to build from the implementation of the Long Term Renovation Strategies, but also explore new drivers and triggers, including regulation, in order to scale up what has worked well in some countries.

 

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10 priorities for transformative policies under the European Green Deal
EU-ASE contributes to Coalition’s Energy Efficiency package for the European Green Deal
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EU-ASE contributes to Coalition’s Energy Efficiency package for the European Green Deal

31 January 2020 | Latest Activities, Papers

The EU and its Member States have committed to achieving a significant reduction of their overall energy demand by agreeing on 20% and 32.5% energy efficiency targets for 2020 and 2030 respectively. Those targets set by the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) are minimum targets for which the Member States have to pledge indicative national contributions. In order to secure the achievement of these targets, the EU provides binding measures, including:

  • the energy savings obligation (EED Article 7), requiring each Member State to put in place policies and measures to deliver a minimum amount of new and additional energy savings per year until 2050;
  • Ecodesign, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and CO2 emission standards for vehicles to ensure that CO2 emissions are reduced, and energy performance is significantly improved.

Although the current policy architecture (EU headline target, indicative national contributions and binding measures) has led to improvements, it is still not delivering enough. Energy consumption has been growing over the last years, and the European Commission does not expect the 2020 target to be achieved. Furthermore, the national 2030 energy efficiency national contributions put forward by Member States in their draft national energy and climate plans (NECPs) bring the EU only halfway to its 2030 energy savings target compared to the baseline.

In this context, the Coalition for Energy Savings notes that the Commission intends to reinforce the existing policy framework. Not delivering the minimum energy efficiency target is not an option. On the contrary, the 2030 target will need
to be revised to get on a path to net-zero emissions and to tap the cost-effective energy efficiency potential of at least 40%.

The Coalition for Energy Savings calls on the Commission to strongly support full implementation and enforcement of existing legislation and, in parallel, to put in place new measures to increase the ambition.

The Coalition proposes the following Energy Efficiency Package as an enabler to deliver the European Green Deal.

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Press release: European Green Deal requires energy efficiency first
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10 priorities for transformative policies under the European Green Deal

13 January 2020 | Papers

The European Green Deal Communication acknowledges that in the effort to reduce GHG emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, energy efficiency must be prioritised. At EUASE, we have set out 10 priorities to make sure that the policies under the EGD fully apply the Energy Efficiency First principle.

On December 11, the European Commission presented an outline of its European Green Deal.  According to the proposed timeline, the increase of the EU 2030 climate target – the flagship initiative of the package – will be presented by summer 2020. This timeline will require Member States to agree on a much higher 2030 target at the European Council in June 2020, which will be key to enable the EU to lead the way towards bold climate ambition internationally.

The EGD Communication acknowledges that in the effort to reduce GHG emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, energy efficiency must be prioritised, however the Communication lacks a specific reference to the Energy Efficiency First principle and the commitment to increase the 2030 energy efficiency target.

Here are our 10 priorities to make sure that the policies under the European Green Deal fully apply this principle:

  1. Accelerate the implementation of the Clean Energy Package by strengthening
    and facilitating monitoring, evaluation and exchange of good practices
  2. Reopen the Clean Energy Package in order to align it with increased ambition
    by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050
  3. Apply the energy efficiency first principle to all energy planning and
    investments
  4. Lead by example ensuring that 100% of public (central, regional and local)
    buildings are nearly-zero energy (NZEB) by 2030
  5. Boost the renovation of existing residential and commercial buildings and
    mobilize resources to eradicate energy poverty
  6. Fully exploit water-energy nexus and introduce energy performance
    objectives in all current and future water policies and regulations
  7. Prioritize finance for energy efficiency in all EU funding programmes post
    2020 and improve access to technical assistance
  8. Remove all existing barriers to the full functioning of energy performance
    contracting
  9. Raise awareness about the multiple economic, social and environmental
    benefits of energy efficiency for citizens, cities and businesses
  10. Promote digitalization as a driver of greater efficiency

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Press release: European Green Deal requires energy efficiency first
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Energy Efficiency for a competitive and decarbonised EU economy

17 June 2019 | Latest Activities, Papers

 

The European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) is known to be a leading business voice in a growing, diverse and increasingly well-organised energy efficiency community in Brussels. Since our foundation in 2010, we have helped put energy efficiency high on the agenda of EU decision makers.

Together with other Brussels-based and national stakeholders we developed and promoted the Energy Efficiency First (EE1) principle, which is now a concept used across all the EU institutions and was recently introduced in the European legislative framework. We are convinced that through prompt implementation of EU legislation, together with suitable public and private financing, energy efficiency can play a much bigger role in the transition towards a decarbonised Europe.

Our focus on measuring global success by GDP growth has trapped us in a linear view of society, with carbon increasingly becoming a constraint to current and future improvements in prosperity.

We need to become much smarter and more resource efficient. We need to transition toward an approach in which long term quality of life becomes the most important metric. In this context, overall energy efficiency improvements across all sectors are key to arriving at a climate neutral world by 2050. An energy efficient Europe will foster competitiveness and growth through innovations in a range of sectors, each of these contributing to the prosperity, health and wellbeing of Europe’s citizens.

 

Harry Verhaar – Chair of the Board of Directors

Moving forward EU-ASE will:

  • Further contribute to policy makers’ and consumers’ understanding of the importance and benefits of energy efficiency
  • Promote the need for a strong EU role in the global fight against climate change
  • Put energy efficiency at the centre of EU and international long-term decarbonisation strategies
  • Make energy efficiency in buildings a strategic priority for addressing energy infrastructure needs
  • Support the development of relevant EU legislation and its swift implementation at national and regional level
  • Improve use of public resources and help design innovative financing schemes, to unlock private investments in cost-effective energy-efficiency programmes across Europe

We must take bold actions to limit global warming. If we want to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we need to put the energy efficiency first principle at the heart of the transition and of the future energy system. We need to act now, starting from increasing the level of ambition for 2030. People, governments and businesses must work together to fully realise the energy efficiency potential across industrial sectors, regions and cities. This will allow us to reap the tangible social, economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency. Time is running short, we need a shared sense of urgency that will drive better implementation, the adoption of adequate rules, investments and the use of available resources.

 

Monica Frassoni – President

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