“The European Commission has agreed new proposals to step up energy-saving efforts and create “a genuine low-carbon economy by 2050”. Irish-born Director of the Directorate-General for Energy, Marie Donnelly (pictured), was in Dublin today to explain its implications.
“Europe is heavily dependent on fuel imports from just a few suppliers and Ireland is at the end of this supply chain,” said Donnelly. “Even if consumption has fallen off somewhat in these difficult times, it makes good business and economic sense for Ireland to achieve the highest levels of energy efficiency and today’s Directive will help towards doing just that.”
Ms Donnelly was speaking at an expert briefing of major industry, government and media stakeholders. The new energy efficiency plan includes binding measures rather than binding targets for member state. The Directive, would make it a legal obligation in all member states to:
establish energy saving schemes
public sector to lead by example: governments to reduce energy consumption in at least 3% of public buildings every year, and to make energy efficiency a condition of all goods and services they buy
companies to cut energy use in commercial buildings
further reductions in the energy used by household appliances
more efficient power and heat generation
energy-efficiency requirements for industrial equipment
energy audits and management for large companies
rolling out smart grids and meters, giving consumers ways to cut energy use and calculate their savings. “
Further info can be found in the article and the European Commission Energy Directive http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/eed/eed_en.htm
