The results of the European Commission’s latest Internal Market Scoreboard show that the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD - 2002/91/EC) is one of the two least implemented Directives in EU. Some two years after it was due for full implementation, nine Member States (the UK just avoided inclusion) have still failed to implement the Directive fully.  Only one other Directive shares the accolade of having so many miss the transposition target. Furthermore, the energy and transport sector accounts for 11% of infringement procedures, the third worst after the environment and the taxation and customs union sectors.

According to the European Commission Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, using energy more efficiently “is by far the most effective way concurrently to improve security of energy supply, reduce carbon emissions, foster competitiveness and stimulate the development of a leading-edge market for energy-efficient technologies and products”. The largest cost-effective savings potential is found in the residential(27%) and commercial (30%) buildings sector as buildings account for 40% of all energy use in Europe.

Commenting on the scoreboard findings, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (Euroace) stressed: “The EPBD is the most important policy instrument for realising this potential.”