DIFFICULT ENERGY EFFICIENCY DIRECTIVE PUSHED BACK BY MEMBER STATES TO 2012

12/15/2011 12:02 PM

Targets proposed in the EU’s draft energy efficiency directive (EED) are being contested by Member states, with Britain and the Netherlands pushing for some provisions to be deleted entirely, AIE has learned at the informative session on the EED at the European Parliament on 17 November last.

Buildings’ target
One headline figure in the original directive – a mandatory 3% annual public buildings renovation rate – has been slated for deletion in one of the latest EU draft. Obviously the amendment had been made because of “the current budgetary restraints of member states.”

Buildings account for 40% of the Europe's primary energy consumption and 36% of the CO2 emissions. But only public buildings were included in the original directive and opt-outs were given to structures under 250 square meters, such as post offices, and social housing. These are significant because publicly owned properties represent 12% of Europe’s total housing stock. The revision document proposes that this opt-out be extended to buildings under 500 square meters.
Energy efficiency offers excellent long-term returns, but EU states expressed concerns about the original directive’s potential short-term costs. Britain complained that the building renovation proposals were “likely to result in considerable extra expenditure for member states on works which are not always cost-effective.”

Energy savings’ target
Germany, backed by the Netherlands, is hostile to the directive’s flagship 1.5% savings target for energy companies. The Netherlands even proposed a “deletion” of the directive’s flagship 1.5% savings target for energy companies arguing Member states should be able to decide for themselves on the level of energy efficiency measures needed.

Meanwhile, other countries such as Italy, France and Denmark, which already have supplier-side obligations, support the proposed energy savings scheme if some changes are introduced.
Poland, which currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, presented a progress report on the draft energy efficiency directive at a meeting of the Energy Council on Thursday 24 November. The EU energy ministers reiterated their opposition to binding energy savings targets leaving a political agreement for the incoming Danish presidency in the first half of 2012.

The progress report centered around the three targets contained in the draft energy efficiency directive:

· A national obligation for energy companies to reduce consumption among "final consumers" by 1.5% annually;
· A 3% refurbishment target for public buildings;
· Setting up a "national heating and cooling plan" to promote heat and power co-generation as well as renewable energy in  heating and cooling.

Next steps:

· Mid-Dec. 2011: New draft energy efficiency text to be discussed in a Council working group.
· 1 Jan. 2012: Denmark takes over presidency of the EU.
· Jan.-Feb. 2012: First discussions on the directive between member states.

> Proposal for an Energy efficiency Directive available here
> AIE position paper available here