The European Union has negotiated a new energy efficiency target of 32.5% by 2030. Negotiators from the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union agreed to the targets in June, with an upward revision clause by 2023.

These targets are part of a broader regulatory framework that seeks to bring about a clean energy transition by:

• setting renewable energy targets of 32% by 2030
• extending the annual energy saving obligation beyond 2020
• strengthening the rules regarding individual metering and the billing of thermal energy such that customers are provided clearer information on their energy consumption
• requiring Member States to have in place transparent, publicly available national rules on the allocation of the cost of cooling, heating and hot water consumption in multi-apartment and multi-purpose buildings with collective systems for such services

Many energy efficiency stakeholders across industry and the community had been calling for a binding 40% energy efficiency target, arguing that strong energy efficiency measures are one of the cheapest and most effective routes to delivering the Paris Agreement. These parties have expressed their disappointment with the agreement and claim that they 32.5% target falls well short of targets necessary to fulfil the Paris Agreement.

The energy efficiency target is set to be reviewed in five years and this will provide energy efficiency advocates with another opportunity to advance the EU’s sustainability commitments.

More information here