The Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU (abbreviated EED) is a

European Union directive A directive is a legal act of the European Union that requires member states to achieve particular goals without dictating how the member states achieve those goals. A directive's goals have to be made the goals of one or more new or changed n ...

which mandates

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...

improvements within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. It was approved on 25 October 2012 and entered into force on 4 December 2012. The directive introduces legally binding measures to encourage efforts to use energy more efficiently in all stages and sectors of the supply chain. It establishes a common framework for the promotion of energy efficiency within the EU in order to meet its energy efficiency headline target of 20% by 2020. It also paves the way for further improvements thereafter. The directive provides for the establishment of indicative national energy efficiency targets for 2020.

Member states A member state is a state that is a member of an international organization or of a federation or confederation. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include some members that are not sovereign states ...

were to have submitted their National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAP) by 30 April 2014, outlining the measures they have implemented to improve energy efficiency and their expected and/or achieved energy savings. In addition, member states are required to report annually on progress toward their national targets. The policy requirements in the directive are minimum obligations and member states may introduce more stringent measures. The Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU was preceded by the Energy Services Directive 2006/32/EC. This earlier directive contained a target of a 9% reduction in energy usage within 9years of the directive coming into force. The earlier directive also required EU members to submit National Energy Efficiency Action Plans, with the first plan to be lodged by 30 June 2007. On 23 July 2014, the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

announced a new target of a 30% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

Development

Documents leaked in show that the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

repeatedly fought to water down key measures during the development of the directive and forced some measures to become voluntary rather than mandatory. As a result, a new version of the directive allows member states to set their own energy efficiency targets, instead of the original requirement of a mandatory target of 20% improvement.

Measures

The directive promotes rules to remove barriers in energy markets and to overcome

market failure In neoclassical economics, market failure is a situation in which the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not Pareto efficient, often leading to a net loss of economic value.Paul Krugman and Robin Wells Krugman, Robin Wells (2006 ...

s that may impede the uptake of energy efficiency. Under the directive, the public sector is to play an exemplary role and consumers will have a right to know how much energy they consume. The following categories are covered by the directive: * energy efficiency targets * building renovation * an exemplary role for public buildings * energy efficiency obligation schemes *

energy audit Energy () is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light. Energy is a conserved quantity—the law of conservation of ener ...

s and

energy management Energy management includes planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units as well as energy distribution and storage. Energy management is performed via Energy Management Systems (EMS), which are designed with hardware ...

systems * metering and billing information systems and the right to access this data * consumer information and empowerment * promotion of efficiency in heating and cooling * energy transformation, transmission, and distribution * availability of qualification, accreditation, and certification schemes * information and training * energy services * an energy efficiency national fund, financing, and technical support * other measures to promote energy efficiency

National Energy Efficiency Action Plans and Annual Reports

Individual National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAP) for 2014 and Annual Reports for 2016 are available for download. Some national action plans have Wikipedia articles as well: *

German National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency The German National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE) () is the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) for Germany. (Available in German too). The plan was commissioned under EU Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU of the Europ ...

Reception and effectiveness

A 2014 study finds that, despite the directive being technically complex and lacking binding targets, it is an improvement over earlier European Union policy on energy efficiency. Notwithstanding, the document is weakened by the number of exemptions and the number of passages it contains requiring interpretation. The process of implementation was also subject to problems. In June 2014 the UK government directed through a Procurement Policy Note issued to all government departments that they were to comply after 5 June 2014 with the energy efficiency standards of Article 6 and Annex III to the Directive when

purchasing Purchasing is the procurement process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary gr ...

goods and services and when renting or purchasing buildings, as long as this is "consistent with achieving value for money, economic feasibility, wider sustainability, technical suitability and ensuring sufficient competition". Further information issued in January 2015 made clear that "the obligation under Article 6 is a qualified one" and that public bodies "need only buy to the standards set out in Annex III of the Directive where this is cost effective".Crown Commercial Service
Procurement Policy Note – Implementing Article 6 of the Energy Efficiency Directive: further information. Information Note 01/15
published 19 January 2015, accessed 17 March 2023 Public bodies in the

wider public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pub ...

outside of central government were "encouraged" to follow the central government example. A 2016 study examined the treatment of article7 of the directive by each of the 28 member states. Titled ''Energy efficiency obligation schemes'', this key article requires that countries "implement energy efficiency obligations and/or alternative policy instruments in order to reach a reduction in final energy use of 1.5% per year". To fulfill this requirement, the member states have proposed very different policy measures and adopted very different calculation methods and monitoring and verification schemes. The study analyses each national action plan and estimates whether the projected savings are likely to materialise and whether these will be sufficient to meet the article7 target.

Future developments

Directive 2018/2002/EC was adopted on 21 December 2018. It amends this one.

References

External links

Complete list of National Energy Efficiency Plans and Annual Reports.

European Commission Energy Efficiency Directive website

Odyssee Mure energy efficiency monitoring project for Europe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Energy Efficiency Directive 2012 27 EU Building thermal regulations Electric power in the European Union Energy efficiency policy Energy in Europe 2012 in law Energy conservation in Europe Energy in the European Union Energy policy in Europe European Union energy law European Union directives