Enigin News - Industry Leaders Propose Energy Efficiency Task Force
INDUSTRY leaders from some of Europe’s leading companies operating in the energy efficiency sector have met with the EU Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger to investigate further cooperation on energy efficiency.
The senior business executives are members of the Energy Efficiency Industrial Forum (EEIF) and urged Commissioner Oettinger to focus on five key areas which they feel are necessary to achieve the European Union’s (EU) 20% energy savings target by 2020.
The EEIF title their report, “5Cs for Energy Efficiency – The cornerstone of a viable Energy Policy for Europe”, highlighting the five factors as: Conviction, Cash, Compliance, Communication and Compulsory Targets.
The report underlines that these five Cs are the essential ingredients to increased activity in the energy efficiency arena. The EEIF consider a high level of political commitment is necessary to make sure that saving energy should be a top priority for the EU’s policies on energy, energy security and climate change.
Hence the EEIF feel a compulsory element to the energy savings target is required, enabling EU member states to set a clear agenda for increasing implementation of energy efficiency technologies across all sectors. A compulsory efficiency target would also enable the energy efficiency industry to more accurately forecast and plan to meet the future needs of the efficiency market.
As we have reported recently, mandatory efficiency targets is something the EU has been discussing and considering of late, due to set backs in achieving their energy efficiency targets.
The meeting between the senior executives and the commissioner provided the opportunity to discuss the issue of financing; another vital component that must be closely associated with policy-making.
Energy saving technologies are generally a zero- or even negative-cost option, but upfront financing is still required.
Creative programmes are also essential to overcome difficulties in accessing existing funding for energy efficiency, while more incentives would encourage EU member states to execute successful energy efficiency programmes.
Many companies across Europe, and worldwide, have benefited from the energy efficiency technology supplied by their local Enigin Distributor.
Enigin PLC's range of energy saving solutions enable industry and commerce to manage their energy use intelligently, based on real-time energy use data from Eniscope, allowing effective installation of further technologies to efficiently use energy.
During the meeting, business leaders expressed their commitment to work towards the EU’s energy efficiency target by suggesting the creation of a high-level Task Force of industry and policy-makers, presided over by the EU Energy Commission.
The proposed Task Force would focus on how to achieve the 20% energy savings target over the next ten years, looking at the barriers and challenges the target presents.
The delegation leader, Steve Wildman, from Siemens Oil and Gas UK, said:
“Industry leaders are looking forward to establishing a closer working relationship with policy-makers and, in particular, the Energy Commissioner. We believe that such an initiative would facilitate an even more constructive dialogue to take place on energy savings.”
Picture by openDemocracy
