What is the energy efficiency first principle? [1]
Energy efficiency first principle [2] is the acknowledgment that Europe's biggest domestic energy source is energy efficiency. It was first included in the European Commission’s Energy Union Strategy [3].
As an organising principle, “energy efficiency first”, applies to all policy-making and investment decisions and it includes:
- ensuring that energy saving solutions are not overlooked or undervalued;
- collecting reliable data which will allow to value the long-term economic, environmental and social costs and benefits of energy efficient solutions;
- removing barriers preventing energy efficiency improvements;
- developing and enforcing concrete policies, which will prioritize investment in energy efficiency.
English [5]