Dispute over 'bonkers' EU energy savings plan

EU commissioners are meeting today to agree an energy savings target for 2030 amid serious disagreement about how ambitious it should be.

Fibre glass wall insulation is one of the ways of curbing energy loss in homes across Europe

Several countries, anxious over the security of their Russian gas supplies, are pushing for a tough, binding goal.

But EU officials are reluctant to agree because they fear it might damage the overall energy and climate package.

Campaigners and industry have described the reluctance to embrace ambitious savings goals as "bonkers".

Compared to the attention given to cutting carbon or investing in renewables, energy efficiency has long been the Cinderella of the EU's climate and energy policies.

But the crises in the Crimea and Ukraine earlier this year have pushed energy savings up the political ladder. Several governments are now pushing for a tough target as they believe it will help them to limit their dependence on Russia.

In January, after difficult negotiations, the EU published outline proposals on what its targets for 2030 should be.

They proposed a 40% cut in carbon, while renewables would make up 27% of energy consumed. Energy efficiency was due to be increased by 27%.

Under pressure from countries like Germany, the Commission examined a range of higher efficiency targets up to 40%.

The result of an internal review showed that while a 27% goal would cut gas imports by roughly 16%, this would double to around 33% if the savings target was raised to 35%.

The review also pointed out that the costs of going for these targets would be dramatically offset by gains in employment from all the insulation jobs that would be created plus the reduction in fuel consumed.

Incentives to insulate would be expensive but generate jobs according to reports

From BBC Sci/Environment 

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