Paving the way for an energy-efficient future – energy efficiency policy developments in EU member states and recommendations for policy adjustment based on findings of the Energy Efficiency Watch 3 Project

Panel: 2. Policy: governance, design, implementation and evaluation challenges

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Felix Suerkemper, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany
Stefan Thomas, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany
Thomas Adisorn, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany
Florin Vondung, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany
Lena Tholen
Dorothea Hauptstock
Carolin Schäfer-Sparenberg
Daniel Becker
Lucie Tesnière
Sonja Förster
Christiane Egger
Jan Geiss
Roxane Roth
Lucia Bayer
Peter Schilken
Kristina Dely
Dominique Bourges
Nils Borg

Abstract

The core objective of Energy Efficiency Watch 3 (EEW3) is to establish a constant feedback loop on the implementation of European and national energy efficiency policies and thus enable both compliance monitoring and mutual learning on effective policy making across the EU. The project team applied a mixed-method approach to assess energy efficiency policy developments in EU Member States. It analysed progress of national policies by screening official documents, sought experts’ knowledge via an EU-wide survey and has been creating new consultation platforms with a wide spectrum of stakeholders including parliamentarians, regions, cities and business stakeholders. Analysis of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs), the expert survey with input from over 1100 experts on policy ambition and progress in each Member State, as well as 28 Country Reports have been central elements in EEW3.

This paper will present the main conclusions and policy recommendations of EEW3. In doing so, it will first summarise the findings of the document analysis based on the 28 Country Reports, showing developments of energy efficiency policies since the second NEEAP in 2011 in a cross-country overview for six sectors. These findings are then contrasted with the experts’ perspective on progress in energy efficiency policies in their countries as collected in the EEW survey. Lastly, feedback from the business community and the local and regional level is presented as well as a summary of 10 case studies of good practice energy efficiency policies.

A key finding is that policy implementation has improved a lot since 2011 but more is needed to achieve the EED Art. 7 and other targets. Therefore, key policy conclusions include general recommendations for improving the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies as well as specific recommendations for the imminent review of the four major EU directives on energy efficiency - EED, EPBD, Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Directives.