First of all it is important to highlight the strong contribution already made by end-use energy efficiency to the EU security of supply and mitigation of climate change. Through the support to R&D, the energy efficiency policies already in place at EU and national level and the strong contribution to innovation made by EU industries, annual savings of over 1000 Mtoe have been saved since 2005 compared to the BaU scenario. The presentation will highlight some significant examples of EU policies (e.g. appliances efficiency requirement and energy labelling) and technologies which have contributed to the above improvement of efficiency.
Notwithstanding this remarkable efficiency improvement there is still an economic energy efficiency potential of at least 20% to be achieved by 2020 (the technical efficiency potential being even higher). In particular to reach the EU target of 20% energy savings compared to the BuA scenario, a new impulse to investments in energy efficiency must be given through appropriate policies, including the policies for net zero energy buildings and renovation of all existing buildings.
In order to effectively contribute to the energy policy goals, the research on energy efficiency includes the analysis of barriers, the evaluation of past policies, the impact analysis of new policies and market mechanisms to foster the penetration of more efficient technologies. The impact of energy efficiency policies on other policy areas is also significant and needs further research, including relations to job creation, competitiveness, environment, health, etc. The presentation will show some practical examples highlighting the role of energy efficiency R&D in the design of new policies.
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