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Energy Efficiency and Renewables: An open approach is needed to achieve high ambitions

Eurofuel’s reactive statement to the European Parliament’s plenary votes on the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Directives 

(Photo: Dana Barthel)

Today the European Parliament voted for a clear and ambitious mandate to negotiate with Member States on two important pieces of legislation for Europe’s climate and energy policies until 2030. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called for a 35% energy efficiency increase and a 35% share of renewables in the energy mix by 2030.

Eurofuel, which represents the oil and liquid fuel heating sector in Europe, welcomes the parliamentarians’ determination to meets Europe’s commitments from the Paris Agreement on climate. The “Energy Efficiency First” principle and a progressive move towards energy sources with lower greenhouse gas emissions are cornerstones to deliver on these commitments.

A pragmatic approach will be indispensable in the negotiations with the Member States to make this endeavour a reality. In the field of residential heating, supportive policies open to various technologies and energy sources, existing and future ones, will likely be most effective to achieve Europe’s goals.  

The choice of a fair treatment of energy sources according to their merits, instead of a blind support to full electrification, is also good news. Tristan Suffys, Eurofuel’s Secretary General, said: “Europe offers a very diverse set of geographies, climates and architectures, which all have an impact on the local heating mix. Efficient liquid fuel solutions with increasing renewable content will be crucial to facilitate the energy transition in rural and remote areas.”

Energy efficiency gains of 30% and beyond can already be achieved with the replacement of an old oil boiler with a new condensing oil boiler, without counting other efficiency increases related to home improvements. Furthermore, modern liquid fuel heating systems are easily combined with solar or other renewable heating sources. These “hybrid systems” will complement the progressive introduction of renewable content in the liquid fuel. “If we are serious about increasing the share of renewables in heating and cooling, we should make sure that our legitimate concerns with the sustainable sourcing of bioenergy do not restrict too much the raw materials at our disposal and that we keep an open approach to future technologies”, Suffys added.

Eurofuel invites EU institution negotiators to finalise the new directives in a pragmatic and positive spirit and looks forward to facilitating the supply of clean energy for all Europeans. 

Download our press release here