Europe has had increasingly more ambitious energy efficiency policies since the oil crises of the 1970s.  Energy security was the paramount concern and understandably.  The need was for long-term policies, such as for energy efficiency, in order to ensure national and Europe-wide energy systems were robust enough to ensure the energy services needed for the economies were available.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, energy efficiency became important for other reasons.  Improved energy efficiency contributed to lowering energy bills and improving industrial output.  It also was used to counteract environmental concerns, first for acid rain and then for climate change.

The European Union (then the Community) became increasingly involved in energy efficiency.  In 1986, Energy Ministers approved an energy strategy to 1995 which called for a reduction of energy intensity of 20 per cent at least, in line with similar progress the previous 10 years.  Evaluations in 1988 and 1990 of progress for the Union's energy strategy showed that the 20 per cent target would fall far short. 

In 1991, the SAVE programme started.  In 1992, the appliance labelling directive came out. See our page on labelling.  And in 1993 the so-called SAVE Directive in 1993.