The Energy Efficiency Directive
With the European Green Deal, the EU is increasing its climate ambition and aims at becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. As a part of the Fit for 55 package, the Commission will review the Energy Efficiency Directive, to meet the emissions reduction target of at least net 55% by 2050.
In July 2021, a proposed revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) by the European Commission under its “Fit for 55” package, sets out a more ambitious binding annual target for reducing energy use at EU level. Once approved, the Directive will guide how national contributions are established and almost double the annual energy saving obligation for Member States. The revised proposal also requires the public sector to renovate 3% of its buildings each year.
Main changes in the EED proposal include:
- A new Article 6 mentions that Member States shall ensure that at least 3% of buildings owned by public bodies shall be renovated each year to at least nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB).
- The annual energy savings obligation for Member States for the period between 2024 and 2030 is increased, from 0.8% to 1.5%.
- Higher target for reducing primary energy consumption (39%) and final consumption (36%) by 2030 (Article 9).
The 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive
Directive 2012/27/EU established a set of binding measures to help the EU reach the 20% energy efficiency target for 2020. Measures that were introduced include:
- Policy measures to achieve energy savings equivalent to annual reduction of 1.5% in national energy sales;
- Obligations to make energy efficient renovations to at least 3% per year of buildings owned and occupied by central governments;
- National long-term renovation strategies for the building stock in each EU country;
- Mandatory energy efficiency certificates accompanying the sale and rental of buildings;
- The preparation of national energy efficiency action plans (NEEAPs) every three years;
- Obligation schemes for energy companies to achieve yearly energy savings of 1.5% of annual sales to final consumers; and
- Large companies conducting energy audits at least every four years.
The 2018 amending Directive on Energy Efficiency
In 2018, as part of the 'Clean energy for all Europeans package', the amending Directive on Energy Efficiency (2018/2002) was agreed to update the policy framework to 2030 and beyond. The key element of the amended directive is a headline energy efficiency target for 2030 of at least 32.5%.
Under the Governance Regulation 2018/1999 , Member States are required to draw up integrated 10-year national energy and climate plans (NECPs) outlining how they intend to meet the energy efficiency and other targets for 2030.
Other elements in the 2018 Directive include:
- stronger rules on metering and billing of thermal energy;
- requirements for transparent, publicly available national rules on the allocation of the cost of heating, cooling and hot water consumption in multi-apartment and multi-purpose buildings; and
- monitoring efficiency levels in new energy generation capacities.
Background
The Energy Efficiency Directive, approved in 2012 and updated 2018, was the legislative result of the EEP that was published in March 2011. It repeals the Cogeneration Directive (2004/8/EC) and the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive (2006/32/EC. The EED is ambitious. It is meant to fill the gap between existing framework Directives and national/international measures on energy efficiency and the 2020 EU target for energy savings. It covers all sectors except transport, and includes, for the first time in an “energy efficiency” directive, measures for supply-side efficiency.
eceee response to the EED public consultation, January 2016 (download).
Understanding the EED Directive. Steering through the maze guide #6 (download).
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