Energy in Demand News, August 2-3, 2026

Frank Elderson, a member of the European Central Bank’s executive board, told the Guardian that the  climate emergency and the breakdown of nature poses a dramatically growing risk to the global economy. He said it was clear the rising frequency of natural disasters linked to global heating poses a threat to financial stability. “Nature-related risks … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 2-3, 2026

DEEP and going DEEP-er

The DEEP (De-risking Energy Efficiency Platform) is the European Commission's open-access database designed to reduce the perceived financial risk of investing in energy efficiency projects. It is one of the Commission's most important tools for demonstrating, with real-world evidence, that energy efficiency investments are often lower risk and more profitable than many investors assume. DEEP was officially launched … Continue reading DEEP and going DEEP-er

Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026

As this week’s Energy in Demand was being prepared, more than 280,000 people had been ordered to flee or lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026

Bridging Europe’s electrification gap

Ron Bousso writes on the Reuter’s website that Europe knows where it wants to go, but faces a perilous decade in which high energy costs could permanently damage industrial competitiveness before the benefits of electrification are realised.   Europe’s electrification dream won’t spare a painful decade Europe faces a looming "death valley" of high energy … Continue reading Bridging Europe’s electrification gap

Named, Not Funded: who Europe’s electrification plan leaves behind

In a LinkedIn post, Marine Cornelis (Next Energy Consumer) and newest member of the board of eceee, writes about Europe’s recently announced Electrification Action Plan that recognises vulnerable households but does not provide the funding, safeguards or enforceable measures needed to protect them. It is unbelievable that during the hottest summer on record, a plan meant … Continue reading Named, Not Funded: who Europe’s electrification plan leaves behind

Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026

The EU has big plans to electrify. It has set its first-ever electrification target: 46% by 2040. Electrification has hovered just under 24% for more than a decade. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters in Brussels on Friday: “With this plan, we are putting Europe on a course to become the world’s first electro-continent.” Check … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026

The end of Europe’s energy label babel

In an article on The Conversation website, Lala Rukh, PhD Candidate, Energy, University of Galway; Atlantic Technological University writes how Europe is dismantling a fragmented system of incompatible building energy labels and replacing it with a common framework.   Confused about your building’s energy performance? Here’s how to understand Europe’s new labels Imagine an apartment … Continue reading The end of Europe’s energy label babel

Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026

Eurostar, the international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, will now be building its new generation of trains to withstand 55C summers. The new trains, to be built by Alstom, were originally designed to cope with conditions of up to 45C.  But the UK Times website quotes Gwendoline Cazenave, chief executive of Eurostar, saying: “We … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026

Energy in Demand News, July 5-6, 2026

In Canada this week, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen urged decisive action by quoting a famous hockey credo: "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." The Trump administration is moving to gut energy efficiency rules for home appliances that are proven to cut demand for power and lower utility bills. The Washington Post … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 5-6, 2026

Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency was definitely front and centre for many this week, starting with  the International Energy Agency’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal, June 29-30th. There were around 600 attendees from 60 countries. There were 40 ministers or heads of delegations, with about 25 at the ministerial level. There were about 70 … Continue reading Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency