How has COVID19 influenced the impacts of the policies related to Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive?

Panel: 3. Policy, finance and governance

Authors:
Ivana Rogulj, IEECP – Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, The Netherlands
Vlasis Oikonomou, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, The Netherlands
Dario di Santo, FIRE, Italy
Livio De Chicchis, FIRE - Italian Federation for the Rational use of Energy, Italy

Abstract

Energy efficiency operations have slowed down in 2020, during lockdown, and so has energy sales. For the year 2020, EU energy demand is expected to be 10% below the 2019 levels, which would be twice the decline experienced during the 2008-09 financial crisis. Energy-related CO2 emissions in the EU declined by 8% during the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. 1 International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that jobs in energy efficiency in the world are at risk. Therefore, the energy savings from the fall of consumption and from the obligation scheme might be in equilibrium.

This could also be an opportunity to strengthen the role of energy efficiency with its role in reinforcing energy independence of the EU. This extended abstract is based on the a) research of existing data and review on the consequences of COVID 19 on investments in energy efficiency, b) the case study (survey) of representatives of different stakeholder groups on their opinions of the current situation with Article 7 implementation and energy efficiency investments in the respective Member States (MSs), and c) Knowledge exchange with and among EU MSs on how to react and mitigate the consequences of COVID – 19 on energy obligation schemes. The key outcome of this extended abstract are recommendations for the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive from the perspective of the changes deriving in the obligation schemes from the COVID-19 consequences.

Also, for the period of 2021-2027, EU has planned the Recovery and Resilience facility with goals based on The EU Green Deal, and energy efficiency as one of the key priorities, including renovation wave and supporting it facility with 672,5 bill EUR Next Generation recovery fund. The second outcome of the paper is to start further research on current prioritization of the measures for the most efficient recovery.

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