In June 2020, EFIEES has submitted its feedback on the roadmap for a strategy on Energy Sector Integration.
In our answers to the Commission’s questions, we have emphasized that:
- As a necessary precondition, a truly integrated energy system should ensure the proper application of the Energy Efficiency First principle, as defined by the Governance Regulation.
- A really integrated energy system should go beyond the binary concept of ‘sector coupling’ (referring exclusively to the integration of the electricity and gas sectors) and fully comprise the heating & cooling sector. This can indeed play a major role in facilitating the decarbonisation of our energy systems by supporting overall system flexibility and security.
- A smart and integrated energy system is facilitated by the process of digitalisation, where efficient ICT technologies enable communication between various parts of the system, sectors and infrastructures, and help manage synergies, creating opportunities for energy savings and reduced emissions. To fully exploit the benefits deriving from increasing digitalisation, it is essential to recognise the enhanced value of the combination of ICT technologies and proactive energy management, provided by energy efficiency services (EES).
- EES play a key role and have a huge cost-effectiveness potential across different sectors, including the building sector, which will be central in the dynamic of future energy system integration. The optimisation of buildings’ energy consumption, thanks to renovations and effective energy management, can indeed support the further uptake of renewable and recovered energies both at building and district levels. The same can be said for the optimisation of energy consumption in industrial sites and platforms, where EES can enable energy efficiency gains and enhance circularity.
- As stated in the Roadmap, improve the circularity of our energy systems is an essential factor for a successful and efficient energy sector integration. In particular, this implies making the best use of the energy which is available in our systems – especially at local level – and allowing for the identification and effective reuse of energies which would otherwise be wasted, such as waste heat and cold.