On the 14th of July 2021, the Commission has published the first part of the “Fit for 55 package” which includes proposals to revise the EED, the RED, the ETS, the ESR and the ETD.
EFIEES welcomes this ambitious “Fit for 55″ package, as reviewing these key directives will allow to align EU’s legislative framework with its new climate ambitions, while supporting the Member States in their efforts towards climate neutrality.
We especially welcome the recognition of “Energy Efficiency First” as a guiding principle across the reviewed legislation.
- In that sense, raising the EU’s 2030 energy efficiency target and making it binding in the proposed revision of the EED tackles a significant shortcoming of the current legislative framework, while setting a coherent level of ambition with 2030 Climate Target Plan Impact Assessment.
- A crucial aspect of this package is the increased support given to energy management solutions, such as Energy Performance Contracts (EnPCs), which are an essential tool to optimise energy consumption, and thus reduce CO2 emissions, in both buildings and industrial facilities.
EFIEES also welcomes the increased focus on decarbonising the heating and cooling sector.
- A higher annual target for renewable heat in the recast RED will allow for a greater deployment of renewables, including biomass as the main source of renewable heat, and recovered energies, such as waste heat and cold. It will also support a better development of virtuous supply solutions at local level, such as efficient district heating & cooling (DHC).
- Carbon pricing for building sector, through its inclusion in a separated ETS, will also effectively support the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector. A positive aspect of the Fit for 55 package relies on the attention paid to accompanying this carbon price by the proper regulatory framework