Commission's launch of a new phase of the European Climate Change Programme on 24 October
This new phase will review the progress made so far, take a closer look at how existing policies have been implemented in the Member States and analyse specific areas such as carbon capture and storage, emissions from the transport sector and the development of new technologies. On this last point, it is crucial that incentives are put in place to ensure that new technologies which are already readily available are actually taken up in practice and the cheapest way to do this is to implement market mechanisms such as emissions trading that pull new technologies onto the market by allowing companies to profit from exploiting these new products.

Click here to view the full press release of the Commission

 

Carbon footprint

The term ‘carbon footprint’ has become very popular over the last few years. With climate change high up on the political and corporate agenda, carbon footprint calculations are in strong demand. For more information please see the ELC explanatory position on Carbon Footprint. To download the position, please click here.

Did you know?

• Every day more CO₂ is released in the atmosphere than can be bound by nature in 1000 years.

• CO₂ -concentration increased more than 25% in the last 130 years.

• CO₂ -concentration will double by 2030 if our energy consumption increases steadily, as it does at the moment.

• The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases will result in a rise of average temperatures between 1.5 and 4.5°C by the year 2050.

• European power stations release an average of 0,590 kg CO₂ to generate 1 kWh of energy.

Make the Switch

Whether you are primarily concerned with the issue of how to address the challenge of global climate change or if your focus is more on how Europe seeks to become the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world, improvements in energy efficiency are now widely seen as a key success factor to ensure both outcomes are positive.

From an environmental perspective, improved energy efficiency can reduce both Europe's use of natural resources (for electricity generation) and the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the impact of human activity on our environment and especially the climate. At the same time, by improving energy efficiency Europe can strengthen its industrial base by reducing costs, increasing security of energy supply and creating markets for new products, promoting innovation, improved competitiveness and employment and other social and welfare benefits that derive from this.

Energy efficiency can rightly therefore be seen as a key element of EU efforts to become "clean, clever and competitive", and seek to meet both its international obligations under the UN's Kyoto Protocol as well as its own "Lisbon" objective of becoming the most dynamic, knowledge based economy in the world. Europe needs to make the Switch.

Read more about our vision for how Europe can "Make the Switch" to energy efficient lighting technologies.

Eco Design

On the 7th July 2005 the EU's new Framework Directive on Energy Using Products (commonly known as the EUP Directive) came into force across all 25 EU member States. Member States now have 18 months to transpose the legislation into national law. Eco-design, which means the integration of environmental considerations at the design phase, is arguably the best way to improve the environmental performance of products.

The EUP Directive is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of energy using products and defines general policy and principles for the development of energy efficiency and other eco-design requirements for energy using products such as lamps. The Directive also aims to:

• Ensure the free movement of such products within the EU.
• Improve the environmental performance of these products.
• Contribute to energy supply security and strengthen the EU's industrial base.
• Preserve the interests of both industry and consumers.

The ELC has been working closely with EU policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure that this legislation is constructive to the European Lamp Industry as whole. We are satisfied with the result so far and believe that the legislation will assist our industry to move the lamp market towards even more energy efficient alternatives.

The EUP Directive will now enter into a second next phase - the development of specific 'Implementing Measures' on specific products and environmental aspects (such as energy consumption, waste generation, water consumption, extension of lifetime). Implementing measures will be proposed and adopted by the European Commission, advised by a regulatory committee of Member States' representatives, following extensive consultations with industry and other interested parties.

The ELC is now working closely with all the relevant EU and national decision makers to ensure that the Implementing Measures for lighting are� workable,� realistic and target the least energy-efficient lamps (such as certain street lamps) that have the largest impact on the environment. ELC representatives are currently working on a number of initiatives including the development of product specific eco-profiles and study on street lighting to help shape the Commission's thinking on the implementing measure.

The final text of the Directive, as adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in July 2005, is available here.

Document(s):

• The ELC supports the ZVEI position on the 'Life behaviour of discharge lamps for general lighting'
• Eco-Profile - High Intensity Discharge Lamps
• Eco-Profile - Compact Fluorescent Lamps non-integrated
• Eco- Profile - Fluorescent Lamps
• Eco-Profile - Compact Self-ballasted Fluorescent Lamps

Energy Services

Within the framework of the future EU legislation on end-use energy services (The Directive on Energy Efficiency and Energy services), Member States are asked to set targets to increase energy efficiency and promote services which integrate energy-efficient technology, such as lamps.

The prime objective of the Commission's proposal for the Directive is to enhance the efficient use of energy in the European Union. The main mechanism to achieve this objective is to improve the functioning of the Union's internal energy market and to promote the market for energy 'services'. The Commission proposes two tools to deliver its aims:

1."Energy efficiency measures" that include all actions and technologies that are important to the development of the market for energy services and energy efficiency. These include: efficient lighting sources, control systems, energy audits, and programmes and mechanisms. These do not include energy itself per se.

2."Energy services" that include energy-efficient end-use technologies and the energy to run them when the services are delivered (e.g. lighting comfort and domestic hot water)

The Commission also wishes to ensure that suppliers of energy offer "energy services" for the period 2006-2012 through obliging energy distributors and/or retail supply companies to look at the supply-side of energy services. This group will have to integrate "Energy services" into their distribution and sales of energy until a 5% share of their market has been covered. Energy audits will be also offered.

This legislation is welcomed by the ELC and its members in aiding their efforts to promote 'demand-side' measures for energy efficient lamps / lighting. By setting annual targets for energy savings in each Member State, the legislation would encourage Member States to establish frameworks and mechanisms which, inter alia, promote the increased use of energy-efficient lighting technology.

The text is currently awaiting second reading by the European Parliament. For more information on the ELC's official positions on this proposal below:

Position paper
Press release
2nd Position paper

Green Paper

The European Commission adopted a Green Paper on Energy Efficiency in June 2005 that seeks to put energy savings higher on the EU s agenda. Faced with increasing oil prices and the prospects of having 70% of its energy needs covered by imports by 2030, the European Union needs to start a discussion on how to save energy. The Green Paper lists a number of options to save 20% of energy consumption by 2020 in a cost effective way through changes in consumer behaviour and energy efficient technologies such as lamps. These savings would allow the EU to save an estimated 60 billion euros on its energy bill. This will in turn represent investments in the EU economy where European industry can strengthen its lead.

The Green Paper also seeks to identify what is preventing energy efficiency improvements and why action to promote energy efficiency has failed to deliver significant results - lack of appropriate incentives, lack of information, distorted information, absence of adequate price signals and lack of appropriate financing mechanisms. This problem is all too familiar to the lamp industry, where although the benefits of energy efficient lamps speak for themselves, the market doesn t always listen. Short-term measures by Governments to incentivise consumers, both public and private, to choose high quality, energy efficient technologies are necessary in order to stimulate the market.

ELC will be providing will be providing concrete recommendations to the European Commission in the coming months on how to achieve this in practice.

In December 2005, the Commission will lay the results of a public debate launched by the Green paper before the Council of Ministers. The report will be accompanied by an action plan containing the practical action which will be proposed as from 2006.

Click here for the ELC response to the consultation started by the Green Paper on Energy Efficiency.

For more information on the Green Paper see
http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy/efficiency/index_en.htm

RELATED NEWS:

Draft EU Energy Efficiency Green Paper published
Europe should aim to slash 20% off its 2005 energy consumption levels by 2020, according to a draft green paper on energy efficiency expected to be adopted by the European Commission next month. Achieving the reduction would cut energy consumption by 360m tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) and yield financial savings of 60bn per year, it says. ELC believes that part of the cut should also be achieved by encouraging the uptake of energy efficient lighting products.
See the full article on www.environmentdaily.com.

Click here for more about how Europe can Make the Switch to Energy Efficient lighting.