Transport sector has potential to deliver five times more savings

Five times more energy could be saved annually in Europe over 2021–2030 by implementing energy efficiency measures in the transport sector, according to a new study by Ricardo Energy & Environment.

The study, conducted for the Coalition for Energy Savings, says that there is significant potential for energy savings across the European transport, buildings and industrial sectors, but that loopholes need to be shut down to achieve the full 1.5% annual energy savings required by Europe’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

The European Commission is currently looking to extend Article 7 of the EED to 2050. Article 7 requires European member states to put in their own measures to deliver additional energy savings to reach the 1.5% target. But some member states account for energy they have saved in the transport sector, even though this are not included in their baselines, resulting in inaccurate saving estimates. The Ricardo analysis says that scaling up national transport efficiency measures – on top of EU vehicle standards – has the potential to contribute massively to a country’s energy efficiency savings.

‘Energy savings in transport can no longer be ignored in the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive,’ said Stefan Scheuer, Secretary General of the Coalition for Energy Savings. ‘National transport measures have a great potential and together with the untapped savings in buildings and industry will allow reaching truly 1.5% savings per year.’

In the current period of the EED, most European member states have used loopholes to effectively halve the energy savings requirement to only 0.75% per year, according to the Coalition for Energy Savings. The European Parliament has asked to remove these loopholes post 2020.

The study suggests that improvements to public transport, cycling and walking should be implemented, as well as a shift of transporting freight from heavy trucks to inland shipping and rail, and improved speed enforcement and reduction of average motorway speeds. It also recommends training for fuel efficient driving and an increase in fuel taxation, as well as policies to improve the uptake of low emission vehicles.