A renovation strategy for Europe?

It was in 1970 when the Beatles released The Long and Winding Road. With the onslaught of the first major oil crisis only four years later, it could be the anthem for energy policy ever since. The beginning of the road was a push to start with more insulation in our buildings in order to … Continue reading A renovation strategy for Europe? →

Example from Italy shows why more needs to be done to promote industrial energy efficiency in Europe

Audits were made mandatory to large industry in the EU’s 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. Now the directive is under review and there have been many concerns that the Commission has proposed no new legislative changes to promote industrial energy efficiency. Silvia Zinetti, a sustainable energy expert based in California and a regular contributor to EiD, … Continue reading Example from Italy shows why more needs to be done to promote industrial energy efficiency in Europe →

The benefits of energy efficiency standards need to withstand the rush to leave the EU

Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation and a regular contributor to EiD, warns that Britain’s tabloid war on energy efficiency standards could end up costing businesses hundreds of thousands of pounds post-Brexit. This is an important message for all countries. Green Brexit: Taking back control to waste energy? According to official … Continue reading The benefits of energy efficiency standards need to withstand the rush to leave the EU →

The benefits of energy efficiency from a utility perspective

The EU has its Energy Efficiency Obligation under the Energy Efficiency Directive that is to mobilise energy companies into actively promoting energy efficiency. The US has encouraged utilities for decades to play a key role in promoting energy efficiency. Ralph Cavanagh writes on the Natural Resources Defense Council website about a recent industry report that … Continue reading The benefits of energy efficiency from a utility perspective →

Upcoming events

There are a couple of special events coming up soon that you should definitely consider attending. • Upcoming International Energy Efficiency Finance Forum, Vienna, April 25, 2017 The Finance Forum is an interactive event that aims to develop a community of financiers dedicated to making energy efficiency the new normal across the globe. The … Continue reading Upcoming events →

Inability to improve energy efficiency a major drag on India’s efforts to improve competitiveness

Improving energy efficiency has increasingly moved to centre stage of energy and climate policies and people better understand that it is an important means to meet important social and economic ends. Pyaralal Raghavan laments in a blog on the Times of India website about India’s poor track record so far. He concludes that it is … Continue reading Inability to improve energy efficiency a major drag on India’s efforts to improve competitiveness →

Assessing the benefits of energy efficiency

It is encouraging to see when the benefits of sustainable energy are explained to new audiences Stacey Paradis, executive director of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, writes a good article on the midwestenergynews website about the benefits of energy efficiency that Americans should remember, even as the US federal government starts dismantling many of the … Continue reading Assessing the benefits of energy efficiency →

Important energy performance contract for US Army

In Europe and globally, in the endless search for financing energy efficiency improvements, discussions always turn to energy performance contracts and the role of energy service companies. Business Wire provides a news item on the Yahoo Finance website about a recent contract signed between Siemens and the US Army. If you know of a good … Continue reading Important energy performance contract for US Army →

Blog from Catrin Maby – The ‘stuckness’ of energy policy for buildings – taking a different standpoint

Energy efficiency policy can sometimes seem a bit stuck, and perhaps nowhere more than in the sphere of buildings. There is a natural human need to focus in on ‘technical fixes’ (like ‘smart’ technologies) because they seem like they could be easy solutions. This is sadly an illusion - in reality there is no quick … Continue reading Blog from Catrin Maby – The ‘stuckness’ of energy policy for buildings – taking a different standpoint →

Blog from Louise Sunderland – We have a choice: more of the same for consumers, or a chance at really raising the building renovation rate

Having avidly read the Commission’s clean energy package documents at the end of last year (OK, so I admit, not every page but all of the important stuff from a buildings perspective) I am now reading the briefings and recommendations on changes to the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive … Continue reading Blog from Louise Sunderland – We have a choice: more of the same for consumers, or a chance at really raising the building renovation rate →