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Energy, Climate change, Environment
Energy

New impetus for energy efficiency

To reach the EU’s energy and climate goals, we need to reduce our overall energy consumption. Energy efficiency measures make it possible – without lowering standards or comfort, and at the same time saving money.   

Energy efficiency is a triple win: for our climate, competitiveness, and security. Without improvements in energy efficiency over the last 20 years, the EU’s energy consumption today would have been about 27% higher. 

Despite the undeniable advantages of energy efficiency, and the progress made, several challenges persist. They hinder progress towards the 2030 energy efficiency target of reducing the final energy consumption by 11.7%. 

Energy efficiency roadmap

Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, pledged a renewed commitment towards energy efficiency at the IEA Global Energy Efficiency Conference in Brussels on 13 June 2025.

The Commission will thus centre its work on 10 concrete areas. They are accompanied by a list of deliverables and the main events will shift gears of energy efficiency action. 

10 energy efficiency measures 2025-2026

1. Support and simplify implementation 

The Commission will in the coming years streamline EU energy efficiency rules – including the Energy Efficiency Directive, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Ecodesign and Energy Labelling - and support EU countries with guidance, task forces, concerted action, and simplification tools to ensure effective and aligned implementation.

2. Mainstream energy efficiency in EU energy policymaking

The Commission will continue to integrate energy efficiency into broader EU energy strategies such as the Grids Package and the Electrification Strategy to ensure its consistent and systemic application across sectors.

3. Strengthen sector-specific policies and product standards            

This includes raising standards for buildings, products, data centres, and heating/cooling by updating regulations, tackling barriers, and promoting high-efficiency solutions.

4. Facilitate financing and investment        

The Commission will continue to mobilise public and private capital through coalitions, national hubs, investment platforms, EIB support, and encouraging the establishment of new investment tools to scale up energy efficiency.

5. Enhance collaboration and cooperation

Starting with the Energy Efficiency Day on 20 May 2025, the Commission will foster structured dialogue and agreements between governments, industry, and finance actors to jointly accelerate energy efficiency implementation. A pre-view of the Solar Impulse guide ‘Energy Efficiency – the silent money maker’, developed in cooperation with the Commission, was published 12 June 2025.

6. Create a tradable energy efficiency market           

As announced in the Affordable Energy Action Plan, the Commission will explore systems like white certificates and auctions to reward energy savings, attract investment, and turn efficiency into a market-driven commodity.

7. Develop skills for energy efficiency

The Commission will actively support EU countries in closing the skills gap, including through national training plans and toolkits. 

8. Boost research and innovation funding and partnerships

Foster research and innovation in energy efficiency technologies to drive next-generation energy efficiency solutions in buildings and industry.

9. Promote international cooperation

The Commission will leverage global partnerships to spread best practices on energy efficient solutions in high-impact sectors, like buildings and efficient products. To deliver on the Global Pledge, the Commission will actively promote energy efficiency at COP30, including through collaboration with the Global South. 

10. Increase energy efficiency awareness 

Energy efficiency is a policy framework that translates into tangible, meaningful measures and actions at all level of government. For citizens and businesses to full reap its benefits, they need to be well informed about the existing rights – and obligations. This is why the Commission keeps promoting all the many aspects energy efficiency via social media and online. Various communication channels strive to reach citizens, small and medium sized enterprises, and local communities.

Deliverables

As a priority, the Commission will focus on

  • Setting up an « Efficiency Action Forum 2030 » with EU countries - to be launched during the Informal Council of Danish Presidency in 2025

  • Preparing the ground for energy efficiency tripartite contracts – which would provide the framework for faster roll-out of energy efficiency measures across various sectors

  • Launching a guarantee scheme for energy efficiency for small and medium sized enterprises

  • Boosting the energy services market – a first pilot as part of the Clean Industrial Deal package and Affordable Energy Action Plan deliverable

  • Putting forward a data centre energy efficiency package - to be published together with the Strategy Roadmap on Digitalisation and AI (Q1 2026)

  • Presenting the Electrification Strategy and the Heating and Cooling Strategy - with industrial energy efficiency actions helping to reduce overall electricity demand from electrification by 10–20% and unlock 11% of EU heat demand from waste heat recovery

2025 main events on energy efficiency