15 December 2016
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 | The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE), representing the heating, cooling and refrigeration industry in Europe, believes the Commission’s Winter Package “Clean energy for all Europeans” provides a solid basis to continue the global fight against climate change and meet its 2030 energy and climate goals. |
“The publication of the Winter Package is a welcome move after months of uncertainty on energy efficiency legislation, but the European Commission could have gone further to provide real benefit to the economy, final consumers and the environment ”
said Andrea Voigt, Director General of EPEE.
EPEE particularly welcomes:
1. The inclusion of the “energy efficiency first” principle, as well as a strong focus on consumer empowerment through digitalisation.
2. The long overdue release of the Ecodesign Work Plan, as well as the official publication of the Ecodesign Regulation on air heating and cooling products and high temperature process chillers, finally provides legal certainty for industry which will need to move quickly to comply with the new rules as of 1st January 2018.
3. The renewed focus on buildings, as Europe’s biggest energy consuming sector and with huge potential for efficiency gains, and particularly on Technical Building Systems in the proposed reviewed Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
However, EPEE believes the Commission could have gone further by:
1. Going for a 40% energy efficiency target rather than a 30% target. A 40% target as called for by the European Parliament would enable Europe to fully embrace the potential of energy efficiency across many different sectors and will benefit the economy, consumers, and the environment.
2. Giving proper attention to continuous monitoring, service & maintenance of buildings which are proven to be among the most critical elements to improve the energy performance of buildings.
In the future, we urge the Commission to publish without delay the Ecodesign measures, which have already been adopted. Failure to officially publish them creates unnecessary uncertainty for industry, including SMEs, who require legal certainty when designing their products.
1. The inclusion of the “energy efficiency first” principle, as well as a strong focus on consumer empowerment through digitalisation.
2. The long overdue release of the Ecodesign Work Plan, as well as the official publication of the Ecodesign Regulation on air heating and cooling products and high temperature process chillers, finally provides legal certainty for industry which will need to move quickly to comply with the new rules as of 1st January 2018.
3. The renewed focus on buildings, as Europe’s biggest energy consuming sector and with huge potential for efficiency gains, and particularly on Technical Building Systems in the proposed reviewed Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
However, EPEE believes the Commission could have gone further by:
1. Going for a 40% energy efficiency target rather than a 30% target. A 40% target as called for by the European Parliament would enable Europe to fully embrace the potential of energy efficiency across many different sectors and will benefit the economy, consumers, and the environment.
2. Giving proper attention to continuous monitoring, service & maintenance of buildings which are proven to be among the most critical elements to improve the energy performance of buildings.
In the future, we urge the Commission to publish without delay the Ecodesign measures, which have already been adopted. Failure to officially publish them creates unnecessary uncertainty for industry, including SMEs, who require legal certainty when designing their products.
“We look forward to working with the European Parliament, the EU Member States, and stakeholders to increase the ambition of the Winter Package, thereby triggering some much-needed improvements to Europe’s building sector,”
concluded Andrea Voigt.
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