The 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. Under the Directive, all EU countries are required to use energy more efficiently at all stages of the energy chain from its production to its final consumption. New national measures have to ensure major energy savings for consumers and industry. Article 8 of the EED requires large companies with facilities in the 28 member states to make an audit of their energy consumption to help them identify ways to reduce it. An energy audit should be carried out at least every four years, with a first energy audit no later than December 5, 2015, unless ISO 5001 certified across the undertaking. A large enterprise is defined as any business with more than 250 employees, or annual turnover exceeding €50 million, or an annual balance sheet exceeding €43 million.
Despite the imminence of the December 5 deadline, there’s a surprising lack of consistency and clarity in many aspects of the Directive’s operation across EU member states and a number of countries have yet to draft the requirements into their national law. The widespread divergence between Europe’s member states will only increase as more countries hurriedly enshrine their own national implementation of the Directive.
For many multinational companies this poses a significant challenge for the coming nine months. They have to be compliant with the national manifestations of the Directive in each of the countries in which they operate business facilities.
DNV GL’s experts have examined, analysed and interpreted EED information and reference materials for each EU member state, which resulted in DNV GL’s Article 8 Database. Ulrika Wising, head of DNV GL’s European Sustainable Energy Use section, said: “It’s become clear to us that Article 8 represents a ticking time-bomb for some multinationals this year. The wide divergence of implementation across Europe means that there is a real need for an authoritative and up-to-date resource to help guide companies through this process. Our continuously updated database delivers clarity on energy audit requirements, compliance options, exemptions, subsidies, and fines for non-compliance for each EU-28 country.”
DNV GL’s Article 8 Database has already proven its value for multinational companies. Joakim Wetter, energy specialist at Tetra Pak International, said: “The Energy Efficiency Directive Article 8 report from
DNV GL gave us a good overview of our obligations in different EU countries. Tetra Pak has already a proven energy efficiency process in place and the report helps us to understand how we effectively can implement the EED requirements and be compliant across our European facilities.”