Decarbonizing the energy production system and reducing its consumption are the foundations for a future society with zero emissions. In these efforts, energy efficiency plays a key role, which was recognized as early as 2018, when the EU adopted a package of policies called "Clean energy for all", which articulated the principle of "energy efficiency first" (eng. energy efficiency first - EE1st ).
This principle was introduced in the amended Directive on Energy Efficiency (EU/2018/2002) and in the Regulation on EU governance and action in the field of climate (EU/2018/1999), and means that when planning and adopting policies and decisions on investments in the field of energy take into account to the greatest extent alternative cost-effective measures of energy efficiency on the side of energy consumption, whereby the fundamental goals of these policies and investment decisions are still realized. "It sounds complicated, but, simply put, we should first consider what can be done to reduce energy consumption by implementing energy efficiency measures, and then determine what actions are needed on the side of energy production, transformation, transmission and distribution," points out Vesna Bukarica, PhD, head of the Energy Efficiency Department at the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar (EIHP), also head of the "Plug Energy Efficiency First In" project - ENEFIRST+.
In the mentioned project, EIHP participates as a partner, and the project's goal is to develop practical guidelines and show real-life examples of the implementation of this principle. In addition, ENEFIRST+ plans to test the resources for eight real-life cases in four countries, including Croatia, and expand the results to 27 member states. Capacity building and stakeholder engagement through learning cycles are the key components, and the online platform will gather the most relevant information and resources for the practical application of the principles.
You can read about why and how to apply the EE1st principle, how it is applied in Croatia, and how to get help in the text published in Poslovni dnevnik..
