The European Alliance to Save Energy welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to develop an Electrification Action Plan.

Electrification must go hand in hand with energy efficiency to deliver a cost-effective, resilient and consumer-friendly energy system. All electrification measures should integrate energy efficient solutions that reduce demand, and enhance flexibility. Implementing the Energy Efficiency First principle is essential to make the best use of existing electricity grids, avoid unnecessary infrastructure costs and ensure a stable system.

Buildings and industry offer major opportunities. Promoting energy efficiency in buildings strengthens their ability to support demand response and contribute to system flexibility. Effective implementation of the EPBD and the EED is crucial to enable efficient electrification reduce energy needs and unlock the benefits of smart, flexible technologies.

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The European Alliance to Save Energy welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to develop an Affordable Housing Plan.

Affordable housing must be linked to energy efficient housing .Repurposing and renovation projects should systematically incorporate energy efficient retrofits, reducing energy demand, optimising consumption and lowering operational costs. This approach improves comfort, sustainability and affordability simultaneously.

Urban areas in particular offer significant opportunities: around 75% of existing buildings are inefficient, and most will remain standing in 2050. Effective implementation of the EPBD is therefore crucial to improve energy performance and reduce energy bills.

The EU framework, including the EPBD and Article 6 of the EED, provides clarity and stability for investment in affordable housing. The Plan should ensure full implementation across Member States to deliver both energy efficient and affordable homes for all Europeans.

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The European Alliance to Save Energy supports the European Commission’s efforts to develop a European Water Resilience Strategy.

Europe faces both a competitiveness crisis and increasing water scarcity. To address these challenges, the Water Efficiency First (WE1st) principle must be embedded in the strategy. Drawing from the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle, we emphasize that prioritizing efficiency in water use across all sectors enhances economic resilience, and industrial competitiveness while supporting climate goals.

The EE1 principle, embedded in EU energy policy, requires prioritization of efficiency measures in planning, policy, and investment decisions. Similarly, the WE1st principle should be formally integrated into EU legislation for a systemic application. Water demand reduction across industries should be a priority, ensuring efficiency without placing burden on consumers. Member States must integrate water efficiency into decision-making, aligning it with climate, industrial, and digital policies, while ensuring due consideration in the built environment. A water-energy nexus approach is crucial, leveraging synergies between water conservation and energy savings, particularly in semiconductors, and data centers.

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The European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the EU Fitness Check on Energy Security Architecture. 

The Recent geopolitical crises and heightened climate risks have underscored the urgent need for a resilient and independent EU energy security framework. While the EU has made notable advances in reducing fossil fuel imports following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the reliance on other non-EU countries remains a significant vulnerability.

We advocate for a comprehensive and systematic approach to energy system efficiency (ESE) to achieve genuine independence from fossil fuels, thereby increasing energy security, fostering EU competitiveness and supporting a smooth, inclusive transition for all Europeans.

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The European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission`s public consultation on the 2040 climate targets. 

We support a binding EU-wide climate target for 2040 to address the more and more frequent impact of the climate, energy and water crisis.

In order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the European Union should adopt a comprehensive and ambitious set of climate and energy targets. The synergy between energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and GHG emissions targets is crucial to strengthen EU’s climate resilience and accelerate the energy transition. It is becoming more and more evident that such set of three targets is essential to reduce our dependence on external resources.

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