“Efficiency First” in practice

Panel: 2. Policy innovations to ensure, scale and sustain action

Authors:
Zsuzsanna Pató, RAP, Hungary
Tim Mandel, Fraunhofer ISI, Germany
Jean-Sébastien Broc, IEECP, France

Abstract

Even though E1st (which is more and less than energy efficiency) is already established in EU legislation, the ways to put it into practice is a yet an undiscovered territory for policy makers in the Member States. This is reflected in the fact that mandatory reporting on E1st does not go further than using the term in the NECPs submitted by Member States in 2020. However, implementation of the principle in all energy system decision making is crucial to keep the cost of the energy transition down and to avoid lock-in in infrastructure assets that will become stranded before the end of their lifetime.

Investment decisions are taken by consumers (behind the meter) and network and generation companies (in front of the meter). The investment decisions of final consumers and energy companies are strongly interrelated: households’ demand-side, storage and on-site renewable generation investments reduce the needed volume (and change the timing) for networked supply. Hence, the policies and regulation aiming at final consumers, energy use and production have important implications at higher levels, such as the city, region, country or continent.

Several ‘real word’ examples have actually implemented the idea of E1st, even though they are not named as such. This presentation will 1) provide a two-dimensional framework to organise the diversity of situations and approaches of applying E1st, and 2) discuss a few real word cases from Europe and the US from those that are publicly available on the ENEFIRST website. These examples can serve as a starting point to discuss a more comprehensive and consistent application of the principle. For more examples see: https://enefirst.eu/wp-content/uploads/D2-2-Report-on-international-experiences-with-E1st.pdf

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