Changes from plenary report to adopted text

6. Member States shall support the proper functioning of the energy services market by taking the following measures:

(a) identifying and publicising point(s) of contact where final customers can obtain the information referred to in paragraph 1;

(b) removing the regulatory and non-regulatory barriers that impede the uptake of energy performance contracting and other energy efficiency service models for the identification and/or implementation of energy saving measures;

(c) setting up and promoting the role of advisory bodies, ESCOs and independent market intermediaries including one stop shops or similar support mechanisms to stimulate market development on the demand and supply sides, and making information about those support mechanisms publically available and accessible to market actors.

7. For the purpose of supporting the proper functioning of the energy services market, Member States may establish an individual mechanism or designate an ombudsperson to ensure the efficient handling of complaints and out-of-court settlement of disputes arising from energy service and energy performance contracts.

8. Member States shall ensure that energy distributors, distribution system operators and retail energy sales companies refrain from any activities that may impede the demand for and delivery of energy services or energy efficiency improvement measures, or hinder the development of markets for such services or measures, including foreclosing the market for competitors or abusing dominant positions.

Energy Efficiency National Fund, Financing and Technical Support

1. Without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, Member States shall facilitate the establishment of financing facilities, or use of existing ones, for energy efficiency improvement measures to maximise the benefits of multiple streams of financing and the combination of grants, financial instruments and technical assistance.

2. The Commission shall, where appropriate, directly or via the European financial institutions, assist Member States in setting up financing facilities and project development assistance facilities at national, regional or local level with the aim of increasing investments in energy efficiency in different sectors, and protecting and empowering vulnerable customers, people affected by energy poverty and, where applicable, people living in social housing including by integrating an equality perspective so that no one is left behind.

3. Member States shall adopt measures that ensure that energy efficiency lending products, such as green mortgages and green loans, secured and unsecured, are offered widely and in a non-discriminatory manner by financial institutions and, are visible and accessible to consumers. Member States shall adopt measures to facilitate the implementation of on-bill and on-tax financing schemes. Member States shall ensure that banks and other financial institutions receive information on opportunities to participate in the financing of energy efficiency improvement measures, including through the creation of public/private partnerships.

3a. Without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, Member States shall adopt financial support schemes to increase the uptake of energy efficiency improvement measures for newly built, or the substantial refurbishment of, individual and district heating and cooling systems and the replacement of old and inefficient heating and cooling appliances with highly efficient alternatives.

Member States shall facilitate the establishment of local expertise and technical assistance to advise on best practices with regard to achieving the decarbonisation of local district heating and cooling, such as access to locally available projects and dedicated financial support.

4. The Commission shall facilitate the exchange of best practice between the competent national or regional authorities or bodies, e.g. through annual meetings of the regulatory bodies, public databases with information on the implementation of measures by Member States, and country comparison.

5. In order to mobilise private financing for energy efficiency measures and energy renovation, to contribute to the achievement the Union´s energy efficiency targets and of the national contributions pursuant to Article 4 of this Directive and of the objectives in ▌Directive 2010/31/EU, the Commission shall conduct a dialogue with both public and private financial institutions, as well as specific sectors such as transport, ICT and buildings, in order to map out needs and possible actions it can take.

6. The actions referred to in paragraph 5 shall include the following elements:

(a) mobilising capital investment into energy efficiency by considering the wider impacts of energy savings;

(aa) facilitating the implementation of dedicated energy efficiency financial instruments and financing schemes at scale to be set up by financial institutions;

(b) ensuring better energy and finance performance data by:

(i) examining further how energy efficiency investments improve underlying asset values;

(ii) supporting studies to assess the monetisation of the non-energy benefits of energy efficiency investments.

7. For the purpose of mobilising private financing of energy efficiency measures and energy renovation, Member States shall, when implementing this Directive:

(a) consider ways to make better use of energy management systems and energy audits under Article 11 to influence decision-making;

(b) make optimal use of the possibilities and tools available from the Union budget, and proposed in the smart finance for smart buildings initiative and in Commission Communication entitled ‘Renovation Wave´ .

8. By 31 December 2024 the Commission shall provide guidance for Member States and market actors on how to unlock private investment.

The guidance shall have the purpose of helping Member States and market actors to develop and implement their energy efficiency investments in the various Union programmes, and will propose adequate financial mechanisms and solutions, with a combination of grants, financial instruments and project development assistance, to scale up existing initiatives and use the Union funding as a catalyst to leverage and trigger private financing.

9. By ... [transposition date], Member States may set up a National Energy Efficiency ▌Fund. The purpose of the National Energy Efficiency Fund shall be to implement energy efficiency measures in support of Member States’ national contributions pursuant to Article 4(2). The National Energy Efficiency Fund may be established as a dedicated fund within an already existing national facility promoting capital investments.

Member States shall establish financing instruments including public guarantees in their National Energy Efficiency Funds to increase the uptake of private investments in energy efficiency and of the energy efficiency lending products and innovative schemes referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article. Pursuant to Article 8(3) and Article 22, the National Energy Efficiency Fund shall support the implementation of measures as a priority among vulnerable customers, people affected by energy poverty and, where applicable, people living in social housing. That support shall include financing for energy efficiency measures for SMEs in order to leverage and trigger private financing for SMEs, thereby supporting the implementation of national energy efficiency measures to support Member States in meeting their national energy efficiency contributions and their indicative trajectories referred to in Article 4(2). [The National Energy Efficiency ▌Fund may be financed with revenues from the allowance auctions pursuant to the EU Emission Trading System on buildings and transport sectors.]

10. Member States may allow public bodies to fulfil the obligations set out in Article 6(1) by means of annual contributions to the Energy Efficiency National Fund equivalent to the amount of the investments required to achieve those obligations.

11. Member States may provide that obligated parties can fulfil their obligations set out in Article 8(1) and (4) by contributing annually to the Energy Efficiency National Fund an amount equal to the investments required to achieve those obligations.

12. Member States may use their revenues from annual emission allocations under Decision No 406/2009/EC for the development of innovative financing for energy efficiency improvements.

12a. The Commission shall assess the effectiveness and efficiency of energy efficiency investment measures implemented in the Member States and their capacity to increase the uptake of private investments in energy efficiency while also taking into account public financing needs expressed in the National Energy and Climate Plans. The Commission shall evaluate whether an energy efficiency mechanism at Union level, with the objective to provide an EU guarantee, technical assistance, including one stop shops, and associated grants to enable the implementation of financial instruments, and financing and support schemes at national level, could support in a cost-effective way the achievement of the Union energy efficiency and climate targets, and, if appropriate, propose the establishment of such a mechanism.

To that end, the Commission shall submit by ... [30 March 2024] a report to the European Parliament and the Council, which shall be accompanied, if appropriate, by a legislative proposal.

12b. Member States shall report to the Commission by ... [15 March 2025] and every two years thereafter, as part of their integrated national energy and climate progress reports in accordance with Articles 17 and 21 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 the following data:

(a) an estimation of the volume of public and private investments on energy efficiency, including investments via energy performance contracting and the leverage factor achieved by public funding supporting energy efficiency measures;

(b) the volume of energy efficiency lending products, differentiating between secured and unsecured lending products;

(c) national financing programmes put in place to increase uptake of energy efficiency and best practices, and innovative financing schemes for energy efficiency.

To facilitate the preparation of the report referred to in the first subparagraph, the Commission shall provide a common template to Member States by ... [15 March 2024]. Member States shall include an annex to their integrated national energy and climate progress reports, drawn up in accordance with that template.

Conversion factors and primary energy factors

1. For the purpose of comparison of energy savings and conversion to a comparable unit, the net calorific values in Annex VI of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2066 and the primary energy factors set out in paragraph 2 shall apply unless the use of other values or factors can be justified.

2. A primary energy factor shall be applicable when energy savings are calculated in primary energy terms using a bottom-up approach based on final energy consumption.

3. For savings in kWh electricity, Member States shall apply a coefficient in order to accurately calculate the resulting primary energy consumption savings. Member States shall apply a default coefficient of 2,1 unless they use their discretion to define a different coefficient based upon justified national circumstances.

4. For savings in kWh of other energy carriers, Member States shall apply a coefficient in order to accurately calculate the resulting primary energy consumption savings.

5. Where Member States establish their own coefficient to a default value provided pursuant to this Directive, Member States shall establish this through a transparent methodology on the basis of national or local circumstances affecting primary energy consumption. The circumstances shall be substantiated, verifiable and based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria.

6. Where establishing an own coefficient, Member States shall take into account the energy mix included in the update of their integrated national energy and climate plans and subsequent integrated National Energy and Climate Plan to be notified to the Commission in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1999. If they deviate from the default value Member States shall notify the coefficient that they use to the Commission along with the calculation methodology and underlying data in the update of their integrated National Energy and Climate Plans and subsequent integrated National Energy and Climate Plans in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.

7. By 25 December 2022 and every four years thereafter, the Commission shall revise the default coefficient on the basis of observed data. That revision shall be carried out taking into account its effects on other Union law such as Directive 2009/125/EC and Regulation (EU) 2017/1369. The methodology shall be regularly assessed to ensure that energy savings lead to the highest level of greenhouse gas emission reductions while contributing to the phasing out of fossil fuels.

Delegated acts

1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 32 concerning the review of the harmonised efficiency reference values referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 24(10).

2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 32 to amend or supplement this Directive by adapting to technical progress the values, calculation methods, default primary energy coefficients and requirements referred to in Article 29, Annexes II, III, V, VII to XI, and XIII.

3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 32 to amend or supplement this Directive by establishing, after having consulted the relevant stakeholders, a common Union scheme for rating the sustainability of data centres located in its territory, within a month after the entry into force of the Directive. The scheme shall establish the definition of data centre sustainability indicators, and, pursuant to Article 11a of this Directive, define the minimum thresholds for significant energy consumption and set out the key indicators and the methodology to measure them.