New energy efficiency legislation will help consumers to cut their energy bills and the EU as a whole to hit its climate change target of using 20% energy less by 2020. Building codes of the Member States will require all new buildings to have near-zero energy consumption, and require regular inspections of boilers and air conditioning systems. Mandatory labels for household appliances, car tyres and energy-saving products will help consumers to assess running costs.

By 2020, the EU aims to achieve a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% share of renewables in the energy mix and a 20% improvement in energy efficiency. The EU's 2008 climate change package should enable it to meet the first two of these goals, whereas the third is to be met by the new legislative package described here. Energy efficiency measures already agreed, if fully implemented by Member States, would achieve an energy saving only of about 13% by 2020.

Energy saving buildings
All buildings built from the end of 2020 onwards must have high energy-saving standards and be powered to a large extent by renewable energy. Public authorities' building projects are to lead the way two years earlier.,The funding for these changes will come from the EU budget, stipulates an agreement between Council and Parliament delegations on the revision of the energy performance of buildings directive (rapporteur Silvia-Adriana Ticau, S&D, Romania).

Where feasible the energy performance of existing buildings will have to be improved during major renovations. When renovating, owners will be encouraged to install "smart meters" and replace heating, hot-water plumbing and air-conditioning systems with high-efficiency alternatives such as heat pumps.

Efficiency label for household appliances and other products
MEPs, led by Anni Podimata (S&D, Greece), have negotiated a new layout of the energy efficiency label for household appliances and other energy-saving products with the Council Presidency. The new label allows for additional classes (with "A+++" for the most energy-efficient products), but limits the total number of energy classes to seven.

Furthermore, in future any advertisement promoting price or energy efficiency of fridges, washing machines or ovens will have to indicate the product's energy class.

Tyre label to inform buyers on fuel efficiency, noise and safety
From November 2012 all new tyres on sale in the EU will be classified and labelled for fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise performance, says a new EU regulation for which Ivo Belet (EPP, Belgium) was Parliament's rapporteur. The label will be similar to that required for household appliances.

Next steps
Parliament adopted the new tyre labelling regulation on 25 November 2009. It will apply from 1 November 2012.

The compromise texts on the revision of the energy efficiency of buildings directive and the energy labelling directive still have to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers before Parliament as a whole gives its final endorsement at the start of 2010.

Once adopted and published in the EU Official Journal, Member States will have one year to adapt their national laws to the new EU rules on energy labelling and two years to implement the new energy saving standards for buildings.

(European Parliament, 06/12/2009)