The European Commission adopted on 8 March a Plan aimed to improve energy efficiency in the European Union by the implementation of concrete measures. These measures would create important benefits for households, businesses as well as public authorities, and could represent annual savings of 1.000 euro per household.

Recent Commission estimates suggest that if the European Union continues business as it has done so far, it will only achieve half of the 20% improvement in energy efficiency it aims for by 2020. In order to tackle this issue, the European Commission has put forward a Plan on Energy Efficiency which focuses on instruments to trigger the renovation process in public and private buildings, to improve the energy performance of the appliances used in them and to foster energy efficiency in households and the industry.

As highlighted by Commissioner Günther Oettinger responsible for Energy the Plan is also aimed to pave the way for the longer term policies needed to achieve a decarbonised and resource-efficient economy by 2050 and to place the EU at the forefront of innovation.  This plan builds on the contributions of the European Parliament, notably the recent own- initiative report on energy efficiency, of many stakeholders, and on experience gained with the 2006 Energy Efficiency Action Plan.

The sectors which deserve the highest attention are residential, transport and tertiary sector, as well as industry with more limited possibilities. However, this Plan does not cover transport, as a White paper on Transport is due to be presented this year. Commission also considers that major improvements are also needed in the energy transformation sector if the overall 20% target is to be achieved.

Actions proposed by Commission's Energy Efficiency Action Plan

• Promoting the exemplary role of the public sector by proposing a binding target to accelerate the refurbishment rate of the public sector building stock. Public authorities should be required to refurbish at least 3% of their buildings each year. It also introduces energy efficiency criteria in public procurement.
• Trigger the renovation process in private buildings and improve the energy performance of appliances.
• Improve the efficiency of power and heat generation.
• It foresees energy efficiency requirements for industrial equipment, improved information provision for SMEs and energy audits and energy management systems for large companies.
• Focusing on the roll-out of smart grids and smart meters providing consumers with the information and services necessary to optimise their energy consumption and calculate their energy savings.

The European Commission will monitor the implementation of the Action Plan and translate these actions into a legislative proposal in the coming months. It will report on progress in spring 2013 in the framework of the new EU 2020 governance. If the review shows that the overall EU target is unlikely to be achieved, the Commission will propose legally binding targets for 2020. For now, the priority is for binding measures to help Member States, companies and citizens alike to achieve their savings objectives and to save on their energy bills.