This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 32018L2002
Energy efficiency
This summary has been archived and will not be updated. See
'Energy efficiency (from 2025)'
for an updated information about the subject.
- Date of last review:
- 04/05/2023
- Initial creation date:
- 11/03/2019
- Summary code:
-
- 18.99.00.00 Archived summaries
- EUROVOC descriptor:
- Directory code:
- Summarised document(s):
- Author:
- Publications Office of the European Union
- Responsible entity(ies):
- Council of the European Union
Energy efficiency
SUMMARY OF:
Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency
Directive (EU) 2018/2002 amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DIRECTIVE?
Directive 2012/27/EU, together with its amendment, aims to adapt EU energy law in line with the 2030 energy efficiency and climate goals and contribute towards the Energy Union strategy to:
- reduce the EU’s dependence on imported energy;
- cut emissions;
- drive jobs and growth;
- strengthen consumer rights; and
- alleviate energy poverty.
KEY POINTS
Directive 2012/27/EU aimed to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels and included a requirement for all EU countries to set national energy efficiency targets to achieve this. It promotes energy efficiency1 across the EU through a common framework of measures covering every stage of the energy chain, from generation to distribution and final consumption.
This directive, as revised by Directive (EU) 2018/2002, along with the revised Renewable Energy directive and a new Governance Regulation are part of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package.
The main amendments to the 2012 directive include:
- meeting a 32.5% energy efficiency target by 2030 and anticipating further improvements after that;
- removing barriers in the energy market that obstruct efficiency in the supply and use of energy;
- EU countries to set their own national contributions for 2020 and 2030;
- from 2020, EU countries will require utility companies to help their consumers use 0.8% less energy each year (for Malta and Cyprus 0.24%), which will attract private investment and support new competitors in the market;
- clearer rules on energy metering and billing, strengthening consumer rights, in particular for people living in multi-apartment buildings;
- EU countries must have transparent, publicly available national rules on the allocation of the cost of heating, cooling and hot water services in multi-apartment and multi-purpose buildings where these services are shared;
- strengthening social aspects of energy efficiency by taking energy poverty into account in designing energy efficiency schemes and alternative measures.
FROM WHEN DOES THE DIRECTIVE APPLY?
Directive 2012/27/EU has applied since and had to become law in the EU countries by .
Directive (EU) 2018/2002 has applied since and mostly has to become law in the EU countries by . This is the case except for certain amended rules for which the deadline is . These concern:
- metering for gas and electricity;
- metering for heating, cooling and domestic hot water;
- sub-metering and cost allocation for heating, cooling and domestic hot water;
- remote reading requirement;
- billing information for gas and electricity;
- billing and consumption information for heating, cooling and domestic hot water;
- costs of access to metering and billing information for electricity and gas;
- cost of access to metering and billing and consumption information for heating, cooling and domestic hot water;
- minimum requirements for billing and billing information based on actual consumption of electricity and gas (in Annex VII); and
- new Annex VIIa on minimum requirements for billing and consumption information for heating, cooling and domestic hot water.
BACKGROUND
For more information, see:
- Energy efficiency — Saving energy, saving money (European Commission).
KEY TERMS
- Energy efficiency: the ratio of performance, services, goods or energy produced, for the amount of energy used.
MAIN DOCUMENTS
Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC (OJ L 315, , pp. 1-56)
Successive amendments to Directive 2012/27/EU have been incorporated into the original document. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency (OJ L 328, , pp. 210-230)
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