The member states of the European Union and the MEPs arrived at agreement to limit consumption energy in the Union by 2030, mainly through building renovations and public sector efforts.

The text on “energy efficiency” was proposed by the European Commission in July 2021 as part of the ambitious Climate Program with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 within the Union.

The agreement between the negotiators of the member states and the European Parliament foresees the decrease by at least 11.7% of the EU’s final energy consumption in 2030, relative to a reference scenario established in 2020.

“A strict monitoring and enforcement mechanism will be put in place to ensure that member states keep their national commitments to the European goal,” the European Parliament’s announcement states.

The target increased compared to the Commission’s proposal (9%), but is far from the 14.5% requested by the European Parliamentto take into account the energy shock caused by the war in Ukraine and to reduce European dependence on imported hydrocarbons.

“For the first time we have a binding energy consumption target. It’s a big win, a good deal for Climate and bad for Putin,” said Socialist MEP Nils Fuglsang, the text’s rapporteur.

On average, between 2024 and 2030, each country should reduce its final energy consumption by approximately 1.5% compared to the projected path.

And efforts will have to accelerate: annual energy savings will be set at 1.3% by the end of 2025 and progressively increase up to 1.9% by the end of 2030, making less energy-intensive sectors of construction, industry and transportation.

The most energy-intensive businesses – those with an annual energy consumption of more than 85 terajoules – will have to be equipped with an “energy management system” or face a systematic audit.

Highly energy-intensive IT data centers should be tested for their energy performance, with the anticipated possibility of using the heat they release to heat other buildings.

In each country, the public sector should reduce energy consumption by 1.9% per year.

Member States must renovate at least 3% of the total area of ​​public buildings each year, at national, but also regional and local level, to transform them “into zero or nearly zero energy buildings”.

The agreement also provides for the improvement of local heating and cooling plans in cities with a population of more than 45,000 inhabitants, notably by progressively banning fossil fuels in new infrastructure.