Delivering energy savings and efficiency

The EU should not waste its time arguing about whether to make its energy efficiency targets binding. Instead, it should focus on practical steps to improve energy efficiency. In this new CER policy brief Stephen Tindale calls for a strengthening of the EU's so-called 'combined heat and power directive' to ensure that the heat generated when fuel is burnt to generate electricity is also used; for a progressive tightening of EU energy standards for boilers, computers and televisions; and for the introduction of a floor price for carbon in the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS). Tindale also calls for more of the EU budget - and some of the revenues from the auctioning of ETS permits - to be spent on energy efficiency programmes.