Project description
Reaching the EU’s clean energy goals
Part of the EU Green Deal's ambition of climate neutrality by 2050, the 'efficiency first' (E1st) principle is being incorporated into policymaking, planning and investment processes related to energy systems at all levels. E1st is about achieving a more integrated view of energy systems, considering options on the supply side and demand side while ensuring a level playing field. A paradigm shift is required to consider more systematically the multiple impacts of investment decisions related to energy systems, as well as multiple time frames. The EU-funded ENEFIRST project aims to walk the talk in making E1st more concrete and operational, combining policy analysis and quantitative assessments through modelling, to provide hands-on examples and practical guidelines supporting the implementation of E1st.
Objective
"""Efficiency First"" (E1st) is a fundamental principle applied to policymaking, planning and investment in the energy sector, which is gaining visibility in European energy and climate policy. ENEFIRST will help making the E1st principle more concrete and operational, better understand its relevance for energy demand and supply and its broader impacts across sectors and markets, focussing on the buildings sector. Its main objectives are to define the principle of E1st in practical terms, assess how it has been applied internationally and how it applies to the EU context, to assess the value of applying E1st across different policy areas for buildings’ end-use energy efficiency and to quantify the impacts of increased building energy efficiency for the future energy system in the EU, and to identify key policy areas for the application of E1st and develop policy proposals for its implementation in the EU Buildings Sector. The methodology of ENEFIRST has been designed in light of the novelty of the approach informed by a deep understanding of the current energy policy landscape and the existing practices of energy efficiency policy making and is based in three pillars a) identification of the most relevant policy areas where the E1st principle can be applied to achieve the highest impact in terms of energy system benefits, through screening 5 areas of potential application, modelling three scenarios and five modelling case studies and applying the E1st in three regions in the EU, b) application of the E1st in policy instruments, through assessing the applicability and transferability of international E1st approaches and quantifying the impacts of E1st (through modelling and multi-criteria analysis), and c) application of E1st through the design of policy instruments and the analysis of their application in country case studies. All the foreseen tasks will be carried out with the validation of experts’ groups that formulate the ENEFIRST Stakeholder Community."
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
1043 GR Amsterdam
Netherlands