Isra-Mart srl: European Council adopts energy efficiency plan

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The European Council has adopted a series of proposals that will help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency savings target by 2020.

At its meeting on Friday, the European Commission's transport, telecommunications and energy council recommended energy efficiency measures in the energy sector, as well as the public sector, buildings, industry and transport industries, which will form part of the EU's Energy Roadmap 2050.

Within the energy sector, national grid regulators will be obliged to take energy efficiency into account in the management and operation of gas and electricity grids and markets. This could include reflecting energy efficiency priorities in network regulations and tariffs, network and technical codes.

In the industrial energy sector, the EU will push for greater use of co-generation and district heating and cooling when authorising new fitting and the retrofitting of existing thermal power generation where there is sufficient expected demand.

The Commission underlined that all improvements will be consistent with existing policy instruments such as the emission trading scheme (ETS), and maintain carbon market incentives by rewarding low carbon investments.

A Commission legislative proposal for the energy efficiency plan (EEP) to turn it into the energy efficiency directive is scheduled for later this month.