Buildings account for 40% of Europe’s energy consumption. As such, concrete and ambitious action to tackle unnecessary energy use in the EU’s building stock is key to any energy efficiency plan. The EEP 2011 rightly acknowledges that the greatest energy saving potential lies in buildings. Part of the EU’s energy efficiency policy agenda up to 2020 alongside a future EU Framework Directive, the plan focuses on measures such as financing and training to support the escalation of renovation in public and private buildings. In particular, a recommendation for public authorities to refurbish 3% of their buildings every year sets the right level of ambition.
However, more needs to be done, and done now, says EuroACE. It is already widely accepted that, unless activity is significantly accelerated, Europe will only reach 50% of the energy savings target set by 2020. Concrete and ambitious action in the building area is thus urgently needed over the coming years at EU and Member State level.
“Although it is clear and publicly acknowledged that the 2020 energy savings target will not be met by current measures in place in Member States, Brussels is delaying taking concrete action until at least 2013,” said EuroACE.
Wait and see, not good enough
Businesses in the energy savings industry want clear policy signals, commitments and targets. Only then will they invest in increased capacity. The Commission’s ‘let’s wait and see’ approach thus does not only hamper carbon savings, but also does not enable the EU to stimulate real job creation. At the same time, vulnerable consumers are left at the mercy of ever increasing energy prices.
“If energy efficiency is a priority area of the EU’s Energy and Europe 2020 strategy, then why are we not seeing a greater sense of urgency?” asks EuroACE’s Secretary General, Amanda Afifi. “We need an Action Plan that will deliver and that can be shown to deliver from the outset”.
The Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 also provides a unique opportunity for the Commission to frame its energy savings policy, both in terms of the short-term target and the overall 2050 target. An efficiency plan for 2020 placed outside of the context of a 2050 objective runs the risk of making it harder to achieve our long-term goals.
In the case of buildings, the lack of a clear and coherent target both at EU and Member State level often leads to shallow energy savings measures that lock-in the potential of a building that may only be renovated once every thirty years.
The Efficiency Plan must include a clear target to strive for as well as a robust strategy for achieving the target. Without this, what are we aiming for?
EuroACE members highlights that a vital missing element of the proposed EEP 2011 is a clear roadmap for how and to what extent energy use in buildings can be reduced by 2020 (intermediate target) and by 2050 (target for the complete renovation of the EU’s building stock). “Without such a roadmap now, Europe will be unable to meet its low-carbon or energy 2050 objectives,” they say.
EuroACE, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings, is comprised of Europe’s leading companies involved with the manufacture, distribution and installation of energy saving goods and services. EuroACE members have a total turnover of €140 billion and employ 172,000 people in Europe alone. The mission of EuroACE is to work together with the European institutions to help Europe move towards a more sustainable pattern of energy use in buildings, thereby contributing to Europe’s commitments on climate change, energy security and economic growth.
Its members include: • Armacell International, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Philips Lighting, Pilkington, Rockwool International, Saint-Gobain Isover, and VELUX Group.
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