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Energy saving: EU action to reduce energy consumption
Saving energy is key to fighting climate change and reducing the EU's energy dependency. Find out what MEPs are doing to reduce consumption.
Energy efficiency means using less energy to produce the same result. It enables saving energy and reducing emissions from power plants.
Laws on energy efficiency from 2018 are being revised to help the EU reach new ambitious climate goals set under the 2021 European Green Deal. They will also contribute to reducing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuel imports that come in large part from Russia.
The EU is working in parallel on rules to increase renewable energy.
Read more on EU action to reduce emissions
New energy efficiency targets
Energy efficiency improvements could reduce not only CO2 emissions, but also the EU’s annual €330 billion bill for energy imports. That is why EU lawmakers are working on an update of the 32.5% energy efficiency target for 2030, agreed in the 2018 energy efficiency directive.
New targets, backed by Parliament in September 2022, are a reduction of at least 40% in final energy consumption and 42.5% in primary energy consumption. Final energy consumption refers to the energy used by final consumers (such as electricity consumption by households), whereas primary energy consumption represents the total energy demand within a country (for example fuel burned to produce electricity).
Parliament is expected to take a final vote on this legislation in the December plenary.
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