EP has approved a regulation that will force states to save energy

Standard design of a passive house (author: Ing. arch. Josef Smola)

Strasbourg - European lawmakers today approved a new regulation aimed at forcing the twenty-seven states and energy companies to achieve greater energy savings. All countries, including the Czech Republic, must annually renovate at least three percent of public buildings to make them more environmentally friendly. The new obligation will also apply to energy sellers and distributors, who must save 1.5 percent of the volume of energy sold each year.
      The European Commission proposed specific energy savings last year, and lawmakers have now approved the directive in its first reading. The regulation is part of an earlier decision by the EC that by the end of 2018 all new buildings used and owned by public authorities within the union must have nearly zero energy consumption. From the end of 2020, all newly constructed buildings will have to comply with this standard.
      The EU also committed some time ago to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2020. The specific mandatory savings, including the renovation of offices and quotas for energy companies, are intended to help achieve this goal.
      Once the new rules come into effect, states will have to ensure the energy efficiency of their buildings. The savings will begin in 2014. According to data from the European Commission, renovations could save up to 60 percent of energy. Public buildings account for 12 percent of built-up areas. Buildings (both public and private) represent 40 percent of final energy consumption, the Commission argues.
      While most MEPs consider mandatory energy savings in government buildings to be beneficial, many criticize the regulation concerning energy companies. Together with industry representatives, they argue that the need to save 1.5 percent of the volume of energy sold annually will lead to increased transaction costs and bureaucracy. These costs will then be reflected in energy prices.
      “I consider the imposition of energy savings on end customers to be somewhat fantastical. Such regulation does not belong in a market economy in my opinion. Moreover, there is a concern that it could violate the principles of contractual freedom and freedom of enterprise,” stated Czech MEP Jan Březina from the EPP faction today in his statement. According to the proposal's author Claude Turmes from the Greens faction, however, mandatory savings will reduce dependence on energy imports and will provide an impetus for the economy.