Matchmaking tools and resources with needs on implementing the Energy Efficiency Directive policies

Panel: 3. Policy and governance

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Vlasis Oikonomou, IEECP – Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, The Netherlands
Erwin Hofman, JIN Climate and Sustainability
Pietro Falconi, ENEA, Italy
Ana Mostecak, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy Stichting, The Netherlands
Mia Dragovic, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy - IEECP, The Netherlands
Mia Dragovic Matosovic, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy–IEECP, The Netherlands
Filip Dimitriu, FEDARENE, Belgium

Abstract

As a result of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) requirements, Member States implement policies on national, regional and local levels. In the implementation process of energy efficiency policies, several barriers hinder the adoption of the measures foreseen.

This article demonstrates the needs from policymakers in various governance levels (related to EED Articles) from a needs assessment survey carried out in the EC H2020 PUBLENEF project.

The main needs on a regional/local level are the insufficient budget, the lack of stakeholder's available time, the difficulty in mobilisation of local stakeholders, legislative issues that do not allow the launching of multigovernance energy efficiency policies, and finally the needs of simplification of administrative procedures and training of the senior staff on energy efficiency.

At the same level, evaluations demonstrate a lack of energy modelling on the regional/local levels for energy efficiency policy planning, absence of monitoring policy outcomes on the local level, low enforcement process for not reaching local targets and finally the innovative financing means for energy efficiency are few for local levels.

To overcome these issues, several tools and best practices are developed in EU projects addressing the EED Articles. PUBLENEF shows that most best practices addressed Energy Audits and Management Systems, Technology issues and financing technical support (with an absence on practices on target setting and quality of savings).

Tools mainly address information and training, energy services, financing support, public procurement, while there are few or none on the role of public buildings, metering, billing, cost of access to metering and billing, penalties, energy transformation, distribution, qualification – accreditation and certification schemes.This paper departs from evaluations and describes thus the reasons for the lack of such resources and suggests a focus for the EED Articles that require support.