16 December 2021 - Online
On 14 July 2021, the European Commission adopted the 'Fit for 55' (FF55) package with a view to adapting existing EU climate and energy legislation to the new EU objective of a minimum 55% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. The package includes a recast of the energy efficiency directive (EED), requiring Member States to almost double their annual energy savings obligations, leading the way to help deliver 9% more energy savings than envisaged by the existing EED and in the 2021-2030 National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The directive also proposes to incorporate the “Energy efficiency first” (EE1st) principle as a legal provision. This principle considers energy efficiency a source of energy in its own right and a “first fuel” in planning processes and investment decisions.
While the energy efficiency dimension of the Clean Energy Transition (CET) is well acknowledged, the interconnected aspect of energy sufficiency remains largely overlooked. Defined as “a state in which people’s basic needs for energy services are met equitably and ecological limits are respected”, its application leads to decisions favouring activities and services that are intrinsically low on energy use (e.g., in an office building, renovating the staircase to encourage employees to take the stairs). Together with energy efficiency, energy sufficiency is still a largely underutilised source of carbon abatement and represents a winning strategy to minimise the rebound effect often associated with gains in energy efficiency.
This SUPEERA Webinar will gather policymakers, industry representatives, civil society and research to explore how sufficiency and efficiency solutions can be applied across all emission sources and contribute to the attainment of climate neutrality goals. The outcome will inform the EERA community with tailored recommendations on concrete research and industrial challenges in the specific realm of energy efficiency and sufficiency.