Page 16 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication

16 Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

With Targets to be reached,
Energy Efficiency is Key

By Seán Kelly MEP (pictured)

To most people, increasing
Energy Efficiency represents
an obvious policy choice
both for economic and
environmental reasons. Reducing
our energy use means lower energy
costs for consumers, it means less
dependence on external energy
suppliers, and it means a reduced
carbon footprint by cutting our
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

Add to this the boost to employment
levels that Energy Efficiency can
bring to the construction sector by
increasing the demand for building
renovations and it becomes evident
that benefits of striving for a more
Energy Efficient system are multiple.

However, for a number of reasons,
investment in energy efficiency is not
at the level it should be. The relative
longer payback time of an Energy
Efficiency investment, along with
difficulties in accessing finance, and
indeed the general lack of awareness,
has hindered progress on this issue.

As we move into a crucial period here
in Brussels in which we will work on
the reviews of the Energy Efficiency
Directive, the Electricity Market Design,
the Renewable Energy Directive, the
Energy Performance of Buildings
Directive, while at the same time
working on the legislation to ensure
emissions reductions are achieved
in the ETS and non-ETS sectors up
to 2030, I feel it is crucial that we
get the balance right to ensure the
complementarity of all parts of this
legislation, and that includes helping

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