Energy efficiency

It has now been recognised at a global level that strong and immediate action needs to be taken in order to halt global warming and deal with the effects of climate change. One of the greatest contributors to global warming is the burning of fossil fuels to provide energy to heat or cool our buildings. Buildings account for about 40% of the overall energy end use in the European Union¹ and offer the highest cost-effective savings potential. The EU has taken the lead in global action by implementing legislation to realise that potential, such as:

• Energy performance of buildings directive²
• Energy end-use efficiency and energy services directive³
• European energy efficiency action plan⁴

PU Europe has played an active role in helping to shape this legislation, fully supporting minimum efficiency requirements for buildings and promoting the energy performance certificate for buildings as a market driven tool to push for efficiency improvements, as well as initiatives towards low and zero energy houses. However, there is a recognition that more needs to be done, and PU Europe also puts its resources and technical expertise into campaigning for more effective measures (see position papers).

As part of a European energy management strategy, PU Europe strongly supports the principles of “trias energetica”, which is first to reduce the demand for energy, second to fulfil remaining energy demand from renewable sources as far as possible, and third to only then top up supply with efficient use of fossil fuels.

Of the products and technologies available to drastically reduce demand, insulation is by far the most cost effective, reliable and readily available solution, and of the insulation materials on the market today, polyurethane insulation is one of the most thermally efficient and durable products.

Position papers:

• PU Europe comments on the future Energy Action Plan (June 10)
• PU Europe comments on EPBD recast - EP second reading (September 09)
• PU Europe supports an ambitious revision of the EU Energy Efficiency Action Plan (July 09)
• PU Europe comments on draft recast EPBD (January 09)
• PU Europe comments on EE financing (May 08)
• PU Europe recommendations for the recast of directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings (March 08)

PU Europe factsheets:

• Insulate - Tackling Climate Change Cost-effectively: Implement current legislation with ambition (April 08)
• Insulate - Tackling Climate Change Cost-effectively: Taking an active approach to very low energy buildings (April 08)
• Insulate - Tackling Climate Change Cost-effectively: More focus on support schemes (April 08)
• Insulate - Tackling Climate Change Cost-effectively: lead by example in public buildings (April 08)
• Efficient Insulation - the key to effective Thermal Protection in Summer (October 07)
  

PU Europe reports:

• Revisiting EU Policy Options for Tackling Climate Change - A Social Cost-Benefit Analysis of GHG Emissions Reduction Strategies (November 06)

Other reports:

• Energy Efficiency Industry Forum: 5Cs for Energy Efficiency. The cornerstone of a viable Energy Policy for Europe (July 10)
• Environmental improvement potentials of residential buildings (September 08)
• European Parliament Report on an Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential (March 08)
• The Mc Kinsey Quarterly. A cost curve for greenhouse gas reduction (2007)

¹ European Commission “Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential” COM (2006) 545 final (page 7)
² Energy performance of buildings directive
³ Energy end-use efficiency and energy services directive
⁴

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