Energy Efficiency

Speech delivered on Mon 2nd Feb 2009

Madam President, in all the discussions on the energy crisis, there is one aspect which my colleague, Anne Laperrouze, does mention, but which generally receives insufficient attention. We talk about energy efficiency in the context of climate change and of fuel poverty, but energy efficiency is also of huge strategic importance. Controlling demand takes pressure off the supply side and is crucial to reaching energy independence in Europe. I want to make two specific points in the context of the oral question on the use of information and communication technologies.

First, I am concerned that the roll-out of smart meters is not going ahead with the degree of commitment required by the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive and called for in the Morgan report. In some countries, digital displays are available to show consumers how much energy they are using - which is helpful - but a proper smart meter does much more than that. It allows two-way communication, detailed analysis of consumer demand and proper measurement and payment of electricity supplied by micro-renewables. We need smart meters now. They are crucial to the task of transforming buildings from being energy consumers into being net energy producers.

Secondly, with regard to lighting, I trust we are about to go ahead with taking the most inefficient domestic lighting off the market, and the same needs to happen for office and street lighting. We should, however, already be looking forward to the next technological steps, such as wider use of smart lighting systems using sensors, which measure movement and the degree of natural light so that lighting can be reduced - or indeed switched off when necessary. There is a lot more to energy-efficient lighting than compact fluorescents, and it is time for the public sector - and that includes the European institutions - to take the lead on using ICT for energy efficiency.