The European Commission has called on Europe's information and communication technologies (ICT) industry to outline by 2011 the practical steps it will take to become 20% more energy efficient by 2015. ICT equipment and services alone account for about 8% of electrical power used in the EU and about 2% of carbon emissions. But using ICT in a smart way could help reducing energy consumption in energy-hungry sectors such as buildings, transport and logistics, and save 15% in total carbon emissions by 2020.

The Commission has adopted a recommendation saying the ICT sector should lead the transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon economy. The Commission calls on the ICT sector to agree on common methodologies for measuring energy consumption and carbon emissions by 2010. As a result, more reliable data should be available to set ambitious sector targets for energy efficiency and emission cuts by 2011. These sector targets should aim overtaking the EU's 2020 targets already by 2015.

Addressing EU Member States and the ICT sector, Commission's recommendation aims to unlock energy efficiency potential through more public-private partnership initiatives, like the ones recently launched by the Commission on energy efficient buildings and green cars, but also through partnerships between the ICT industry and defined strategic sectors. In particular, the buildings, transport and logistics sectors are identified as key economic sectors where energy efficiency through the use of ICT is still largely untapped.

The Commission recommendation results from a public survey completed in September 2009 that confirmed the need for a coordinated approach by the ICT sector to improve its energy and environmental performance and the importance of common commitments to meet the targets set.

Background

On January 2008 the Commission adopted an energy and climate change package, endorsed by the European Parliament and by EU leaders at the March 2007 European Council, targeting a 20% reduction both in total primary energy consumption and in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2020, while increasing the share of renewable energy use to 20% by 2020. On May 2008, the Commission announced that it would promote the role of ICT in meeting these goals by improving energy efficiency throughout the economy.

In December 2008, the EU reiterated its commitment to meeting these targets and stressed the urgency of improving energy efficiency. In March 2009, the Commission adopted a Communication on mobilising ICTs to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy highlighting ICT as one of the main enablers that will help reduce the carbon emissions across the board.