IEA – Every German saved almost 500 euros in 2016 thanks to efficiency policies
Germany is a world leader on energy efficiency, according to IEA executive director Fatih Birol. Speaking at the presentation of the IEA’s Energy Efficiency report 2017 in Berlin, Birol said that “every German citizen had 580 dollars more to spend on other things thanks to efficiency policies in 2016.”
Birol lamented that only four countries around the world had introduced fuel efficiency standards for trucks, a “blind spot” in discussions over emissions and efficiency. Making CO2 emissions more expensive could reduce energy use, Birol said. But he added that government action was needed because markets alone would not do enough to boost efficiency.
German economics and energy minister Brigitte Zypries said the planned introduction of an “efficiency first” principle would put Germany on the right track, but that further efforts were urgently needed to meet the official target of cutting energy use by 20 percent by 2020.
Find the report in English here.
Read a Reuters article about the report in English here.
For background on efficiency, read the CLEW dossier Taming the Appetite for Energy.