Tag: energy efficiency

SPECIAL REPORT / The buildings sector is facing a huge challenge: how to encourage investment in the refurbishment of Europe’s old building stock, and for the near-zero buildings of the future? Industry sources tell EurActiv that member states are at fault for not doing enough to stimulate a market in energy efficiency investments. 

Progress on energy efficiency was blocked at an EU summit on Wednesday (22 May) by a cocktail of myopic business interests and timid leadership, according to Hans Nilsson, a board member of the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ECEEE).

Speakers at a conference held recently in Warsaw criticised EU energy policies especially those favouring expensive green energy, but also admitted that the country was not sure what kind of energy mix it wants. EurActiv Poland reports.

The 27 EU Commissioners are meeting in Brussels today (20 February) to consider early proposals for 2030 climate targets covering CO₂ emissions and possibly renewables. But the proposals aren't likely to extend to efficiency, despite EU data showing the continent is on track to miss its 2020 goals.

Few environmentalists would see Poland as an energy efficiency champion, but noises from Warsaw point towards an unlikely repositioning by the fiercest opponent of the EU's decarbonisation strategy.

After decreasing steadily for years, household electricity consumption in 2010 reached its highest level in two decades, says a report by the European Commission.

The European Union put down the last piece of the bloc's 2020 climate and energy policy puzzle by adopting an Energy Efficiency Directive. The directive is a game-changer for energy companies, which are now required to achieve 1.5% energy savings every year among their final clients. The EU law is also expected to trigger the largest revamp of Europe's existing building stock to date and set new standards for public procurement and energy audits.

Failure to enforce existing regulation is the main obstacle preventing the energy-efficiency services market from picking up across the globe - including in the European Union, India, China and the United States - says a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Energy firms will be forced to give all of their customers the lowest tariff available under new laws announced by David Cameron.

Generating all energy from renewable sources is no longer a pipe dream in Europe. From Denmark to Austria, we can see examples of a successful energy transition. Germany is clearly seen as the front-runner and an important driver - especially due to its nuclear phase-out. But the energy transition is not only “made in Germany” but also “made in Europe”, says Anna Leidreiter.

Upgrading old laptops is more energy-efficient than purchasing newer, 'greener' models, German scientists said on Monday (1 October).

Spanish hoteliers can now give their buildings an energy-efficient revamp with the help of an online tool calculating their needs, costs and investment returns.

Fuel consumption could be halved in 20 years' time if the right policies are put in place, despite an expected doubling in the number of cars in circulation worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency.

Industry is waiting for national energy regulators in each member state to decide how to distribute the costs involved in the roll-out of smart meters, which could fall on consumers, depending on each market's 'peculiarities', John Harris, of smart metering company Landis+Gyr, told EurActiv.

The EU tightened the energy efficiency thumbscrew by one notch yesterday (11 September), when the European Parliament plenary threw its weight behind the new Energy Efficiency Directive, negotiated before the summer break with EU member states.

President Barack Obama's recent decision to set binding targets for the proliferation of cogeneration plants by 2020 is casting a doubt on the level of ambition of the EU's green agenda.

As the European Commission awaits member states’ national implementation plans on the recently agreed Energy Efficiency Directive, industry players warn about the importance of creating consistent and uniform standards across Europe.

The lobbying battle on the Energy Efficiency Directive between member states, power utilities, consumers and green groups will intensify in the coming months, as countries will try to fashion ways of transposing new rules into their national legislation.

It took months of political argument to secure a compromise EU deal on energy efficiency, but more months of campaigning are likely to follow to ensure consumers reap all the benefits they are entitled to and energy suppliers change their business models.

Electronics giants Electrolux, Philips and the Bosch-Siemens-Home Appliances Group said yesterday (June 21) that the European Commission must speed up the ecodesign legislation to help businesses and consumers save billions of euros through more efficient products.

Green campaigners angered by UK's opposition to a binding target in the Energy Efficiency Directive. The energy and climate change secretary, Ed Davey, defended the UK's role in EED negotiations.

Jessica Stromback of the Smart Energy Demand Coalition says the Energy Efficiency Directive could create a demand-response energy market, which decentralises consumption and allows end-users to control their energy use at critical or peak times.

A leading negotiator in talks over the embattled draft Energy Efficiency Directive has accused Germany of trying to "destroy" the proposal, but EU governments are likely to strike a deal today (13 June) with France's help.

Trillions of euros in investment in clean-energy technology are needed worldwide by mid-century to control rising carbon emissions, says a new report that could help shape the debate on some of Europe’s most controversial energy policies.