Tag: energy efficiency directive

European energy companies want the negotiations on the Energy Efficiency Directive, deemed as the EU’s main tool to achieve the bloc's promised 20% energy cuts by 2020, to wrap up in the coming weeks.

Consumers will not be able to cut their energy consumption unless the energy efficiency directive creates a framework for smart meter feedback, accurate bills and information campaigns, argues Monique Goyens, Director General of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC). 

As the European institutions enter another round of negotiations for on energy efficiency, the Danish Presidency needs to push harder to live up to its promise for an ambitious directive to reduce the European Union's energy use, argues a coalition of European multinational firms, politicians and campaigners.

Denmark, the country currently holding the rotating EU Presidency, has hit out at EU countries for defanging the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, and called for ring-fencing a key article imposing an annual 1.5% energy savings target on power companies.

Member states have watered down the draft Energy Efficiency Directive so much that only 38% of the initial savings proposed by the European Commission can now be achieved, according to a “non-paper” by the EU Executive seen by EurActiv.

The proposed EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) will push rent prices up and cause energy poverty that has not been seen in Sweden since modern times, warn Barbro Engman, Kurt Eliasson and Reinhold Lennebo.

EU member states want fewer public buildings to be renovated and more flexibility in calculating annual energy savings from big retail companies.

Energy companies will have to change their business models from only gas and electricity supply to personalised consumer energy services as the EU's Energy Efficiency Directive takes shape, an industry expert told EurActiv in an interview.

European Parliament political groups put aside their differences on the Energy Efficiency Directive and decided today (28 February) to jump start negotiations with the EU Council before the vote in the plenary session next month. 

The European Parliament needs to make a strong bid for the Energy Efficiency bill by speaking with a united voice at the Energy committee's vote on 28 February, says Wendel Trio, director of Climate Action Network Europe. 

Activists expressed disappointment at the EU Danish presidency’s version of the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, which is likely to become the most important piece of legislation to date on the issue.

The proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, hailed as the most important piece of EU legislation on energy savings so far, is being heavily criticised for "considerably" watering down the measures initially foreseen for the renovation of public buildings.

The European Parliament's environment committee has thrown its weight behind binding energy efficiency targets for member states in a vote held yesterday (20 December). However, there it little chance that these will survive in later versions of the draft energy efficiency directive, EurActiv was told.

The purpose of the Energy Efficiency Directive is to save energy and boost growth, but the means through which it will simultaneously achieve both are still to be fleshed out.

Targets proposed in the EU’s draft energy efficiency directive are being contested by member states, with Britain and the Netherlands pushing for some provisions to be deleted entirely, EurActiv has learned.