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The Paris Agreement has underlined the role of cities in combating climate change. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) is the largest international initiative dedicated to promoting climate action at a city level, covering globally over 10 000 cities and almost half the population of the European Union (EU) by end of March 2020. The fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report notes that there is a lack of comprehensive, consistent datasets of cities' greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories. In order to partly address this gap, we present a harmonised, complete and verified dataset of GHG inventories for 6200 cities in European and Southern Mediterranean countries, signatories of the GCoM initiative. To complement the reported emission data, a set of ancillary data that have a direct or indirect potential impact on cities' climate action plans were collected from other datasets, supporting further research on local climate action and monitoring the EU 27 (the 27 member states of the EU) progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on climate action. The dataset (Kona et al., 2020) is archived and publicly available with the DOI 10.2905/57A615EB-CFBC-435A-A8C5-553BD40F76C9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement has underlined the role of cities in combating climate change. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the largest dedicated international initiative to promote climate action at city level, covering globally over 10,000 cities and almost half the population of the European Union (EU) by end of March 2020. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report denotes that there is a lack of comprehensive, consistent datasets of cities' Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inventories. To address part of this gap, we present here a harmonised, complete and verified dataset of GHG inventories for 6,200 cities in European and Southern Mediterranean countries, signatories of the GCoM initiative. To complement the emission data reported, a set of ancillary data that have a direct or indirect potential impact on cities' climate action plans were collected from other databases, supporting further research on local climate action and monitoring the EU's progress on Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action. The dataset is archived and publicly available with the DOI number https://doi.org/10.2905/57A615EB-CFBC-435A-A8C5- 553BD40F76C9 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU member states have been encouraged to introduce energy efficiency obligation schemes (EEOS) to help meet energy saving objectives. As a result, there are now 15 EU EEOS in existence, compared with just six prior to the introduction of the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. At the same time, the long-standing EEOS in Denmark and the UK have faced challenges because of concerns over increasing costs. This paper considers the role of EEOS in current and future EU and national policy. Firstly, this paper sets out in more detail the place of EEOS in EU energy policy. Then, the future of longer-established EEOS is explored, using Denmark and the UK as case studies. Recent and planned redesigns in these two countries are detailed, with analysis of the factors which led to changes in policy ambition. For new EEOS, key risks to delivery of savings are an over-ambitious delivery target and time line in the absence of policy learning opportunities. The policy risk for nine EEOS is assessed, with savings being most at risk in Croatia, Latvia and Spain. The paper concludes with an analysis of EEOS within the future policy mix. The discussion considers the place of EEOS in evolving EU policy, future savings from EEOS, their relationship with energy companies and the possible influence of different framings of energy efficiency. The continuing need for EEOS is explored, with concluding ideas about how to secure a strong and effective future for this policy tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lot of policy interest and analysis has been focused on energy saving obligations on energy distributors or suppliers (mainly electricity and gas) coupled with trading of certified energy savings via tradable white certificates. While in the European Union the Energy Services Directive (2006/32/EC) also applies to transport fuels and some of the existing energy saving obligations allow certification of savings from transport projects, as of the end of 2009 no EU Member State has energy saving obligations on transport fuel distributors. The article explores the application of energy saving obligations in road transport, discussing the imposition of energy saving obligations on transport fuel suppliers, the definition of eligible technologies and projects, and considering energy saving obligations as a stand-alone tool or integrated with existing electricity and gas obligations. The article intends to open further discussion and research on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In early 2006 the European Commission launched the GreenBuilding Programme (GBP), aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing as well as newly constructed non-residential buildings in Europe on a voluntary basis. Building owners from different sectors are participating in the programme, e.g., public authorities with schools, hospitals or swimming pools, companies from the services and industry sectors with office buildings, sports centres and hotels. The aim of the paper is to provide a summary analysis of the results of the GBP over its almost four-year operation – from the launch of the programme in 2006 until the end of 2009. By the end of 2009, 167 Partners had joined the programme with almost 300 buildings from all sorts of fields and sectors of operation. The total savings achieved by the Partners are 304GWh/year. The buildings themselves may vary in age, size and use, but they all have in common the energy performance, which goes far beyond the average performance of buildings in the participating countries. The paper focuses on efficiency measures implemented in the participating buildings and the achieved energy savings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 2005 Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC) started an in-depth survey of the electricity end-use consumption and energy efficiency trends in order to assess the energy efficiency potential in the building sector in the European Union Member States (EU-27).1 The survey is updated every two years, the last one being carried out in 2009. Data for end-use electricity consumption for the tertiary sector are very scarce and are not routinely collected by any national or European statistical office. The data are assembled from a variety of sources: published reports and papers, interviews with experts and researchers, including electricity distribution companies' data. At the same time, data on efficiency trends of the most common end-use equipment are collected from multiple sources, including equipment manufacturers. The survey aims to link the efficiency improvements to the trends in consumption, and to have an estimate of the impact of efficiency policies on energy consumption. In particular, accounting for electricity consumption is a very important step for the development of energy policies, but so far electricity consumption analysis has been neglected or underestimated in policy development and related research. The paper presents the main results and conclusion of the 2009 survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The European Commission-DG JRC has an ongoing research activity on assessing the electricity end uses and energy saving potential, with particular attention to the residential sector. Better equipment efficiency is one of the fastest and most cost-effective responses to limiting growing demand for electricity and at the same time to reduce CO2 emissions . Electricity end-use consumption is well documented for the former European Union 15 Member States (EU-15). However, there is still a lack of information about electricity end-use consumption in New Member States (NMS) and Candidate Countries (CC). NMS together with Romania and Bulgaria which will join the EU on 1 January 2007 represents more than 20% of the population and households in the enlarged EU (EU-27). Household electricity consumption is mainly due to appliances and lighting use and in these countries the relative saving potential in percentage is much greater than in the EU-15. The aim of the paper is to report on the status of electricity consumption for main appliances and lighting and to identify the saving potential resulting from the introduction of appropriate policies and programmes in New Member States and Candidate Countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lighting represents a considerable share of the electricity consumption in the residential sector of the enlarged European Union (EU-27). Although most citizens are well aware that lighting is an important part of their electricity consumption, they are still either unaware of the benefits of installing efficient lighting technologies or are reluctant to change their habits. The European Commission has promoted the reduction of lighting consumption through a number of polices and programmes, which together with successful national and utility driven programmes have contributed to a substantial market transformation in some Member States. However, there is still a large cost-effective saving potential of at least 12.8 TWh per year in the EU-27. With more aggressive policies the saving potential could reach 24.1 TWh. These savings can be achieved in a rather short time (e.g. by 2010), due to the fast turnover of lamps. This paper provides updated information on the lighting consumption in the residential sector, the penetration of efficient technologies and estimates of the saving potential if new polices and programmes for the reduction of residential lighting consumption are introduced. In particular the role of promotional campaigns, efficiency standards, building codes, and white certificates are discussed. Last but not least, the paper calls for the collection of more accurate end-use data to assess in a more accurate manner the saving potential in residential lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s there was great attention and debate in the European Union (EU) and in OECD countries outside the EU on the use of voluntary agreements to attain environmental and sustainable energy policy goals. At the time there was a lot of theoretical analysis and discussions on this policy instrument and in particular on its effectiveness and cost efficiency. Before the debate was over, a number of important voluntary agreements to improve energy efficiency or reduce CO, emissions were implemented in Europe both at national and European levels. These voluntary agreements cover end-use equipment and appliances (e.g. cars, electric motors, residential appliances, etc.), industrial processes, and industrial energy management policies and practices. The paper classifies and analyses the different types of voluntary agreements aiming at improving energy efficiency in Europe, and reviews voluntary agreements and other initiatives of similar nature (voluntary programmes, unilateral commitments, self-regulation) in industrial sectors in a number of Member States of the European Union. The paper also examines some successful European initiatives of voluntary nature, including unilateral agreements for improved energy efficiency of end-use equipment, such as the European agreement on energy consumption of washing machines, and the European agreement on power consumption in standby mode of televisions and video cassette recorders (VCRs). The paper concludes that, if set up under the right institutional framework (as presented and discussed in the paper), voluntary agreements can deliver energy savings in a flexible and cost effective manner and could represent an important instrument for improving energy efficiency and climate change mitigation, in addition and co-ordination with other important policy instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the status and trends of the European Union (EU) residential energy consumption in light of the energy consumption targets set by the EU 2020 and 2030 energy and climate strategies. It assesses the energy efficiency progress from 2000 to 2016, using the official Eurostat data. In 2016, the residential energy consumption amounted to 25.71% of the EU's final energy consumption, representing the second largest consuming sector after transport. Consumption-related data are discussed together with data on some main energy efficiency policies and energy consumption determinants, such as economic and population growth, weather conditions, and household and building characteristics. Indicators are identified to show the impact of specific determinants on energy consumption and a new indicator is proposed, drawing a closer link between energy trends and policy and technological changes in the sector. The analysis of these determinants highlights the complex dynamics behind the demand of energy in the residential sector. Decomposition analysis is carried out using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index technique to provide a more complete picture of the impact of various determinants (population, wealth, intensity, and weather) on the latest EU-28 residential energy consumption trends. The article provides a better understanding of the EU residential energy consumption, its drivers, the impact of current policies, and recommendations on future policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a substantial economic energy saving potential exists in the residential sector of the European Union, the energy efficiency service (EES) market is much less developed in this market segment than in other demand sectors (e.g. the industry or the public/service sector). This paper presents an analysis of the current situation and existing potentials for future expansion. A specific analysis methodology has been developed and applied by a research consortium in 18 EU countries. This methodology has mostly built upon an extensive review of the existing literature and on interviews of a large number of acknowledged experts. Its application has allowed identifying encouraging development trends in specific market segments where the possibility of aggregating the EES demand or of exploiting good relationships with customers have created interesting investment opportunities. These trends have been observed in particular in Germany, Denmark, France, Flanders (BE), Hungary, Romania and UK. The assessment performed has also allowed discussing a series of strategies and policy measures that can be adopted to overcome existing barriers to market development. The general conclusion drawn in the paper is that energy efficiency policies supporting EES markets in the residential sector are highly needed. Although EU policies have typically a limited direct impact, they can increase trust into EESs and EES providers. At the national level, a stronger collaboration of governments or local administrations with banks to finance EESs is still very necessary in many EU countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motors systems are a major electricity consumer (about 70% of the industrial electricity consumption and about 35% in the non-residential buildings sector). Several studies showed the very large energy saving potential deriving from motor improved efficiency. After a period of Voluntary Agreement with a somehow limited impact, the EU introduced in 2009 Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) with the Commission Regulation 640/2009, which specifies requirements regarding Ecodesign of electrical motors and the use of electronic speed drives (VSD). The Regulation is based on the findings of the first Energy using Products (EuP) study on motors (Lot 11), which highlighted the importance of introducing Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) relating to these products in the EU. A new Ecodesign preparatory study (European Commission - Lot 30 on special motors and drives) has since then been carried out to evaluate the possibility of extending the scope of the Regulation to motors outside the current power range and to technologies other than three-phase induction motors. Six policy options (PO) were identified, as well as their possible implementation timelines, that will lead to the reduction of environmental impacts taking into consideration the Life Cycle Cost and the best available technologies in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]