The stricter targets of the revised Energy Efficiency Directive raise difficult questions: what energy savings count? How will the savings actually be calculated? And how can the exchange of experience across EU Member States help us achieve this? These are just some of the questions addressed by the StreamSAVE+ project.
In the current European context, energy efficiency targets are becoming increasingly important, particularly amid the crisis in the energy markets, the transition to a zero-emission economy, and strategies such as REPowerEU. Member States and regions face demands to achieve ever higher savings, and they need robust methodologies for calculating them and transparent reporting of policy impacts. At the same time, digital tools, reference value databases and bottom-up methodologies are developing rapidly, enabling better comparability between countries. This is where the opportunity for harmonisation of procedures arises.
StreamSAVE+ is a three-year European project funded by the LIFE programme and coordinated by SEVEn. It focuses on supporting Member States in accordance with Articles 5 and 8 of the new Energy Efficiency Directive (EED 2023/1791) by developing and implementing harmonised methods for calculating and verifying energy savings.
One of the central parts of our activities is the regular webinars, which bring together energy and technical experts, public sector representatives, policymakers, representatives of energy agencies and associations, and experts from the private sector. At these meetings, selected experts give presentations on key issues related to energy savings calculations. Thanks to their online format, the webinars have a wide reach.
During the first year of the project, a total of five meetings were held on the following topics: municipal energy savings monitoring systems, assessment of energy savings from building renovation programmes, savings potential in data centres, assessment of energy savings in water treatment systems, and a technology-focused versus a systems-based approach to energy savings in businesses and industry.
The discussions during the webinars provide valuable insights. Some European countries are significantly ahead in certain areas and provide examples of best practice, which these meetings help to share.
The webinars not only disseminate best practices but also highlight operational, legal and political barriers that continue to hinder the effective implementation of savings calculations. This national challenge also awaits the Czech Republic, which must prepare to report its energy savings under the EED.
The webinars will continue throughout the project and will resume in the autumn with topics on heat recovery from building ventilation and public transport management. The project website contains transcripts and presentations from previous webinars as well as all the latest information. You can also register for upcoming webinars there.
Hana Gerbelová hana.gerbelova @ svn.cz
