Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme for SMEsSmall, Clean and Competitive

Several pieces of legislation and initiatives at an EU level aim to increase energy efficiency. There are uniform standards set for the efficiency of commercial properties and their heating and air-conditioning equipment.

In order to provide cleaner energy and improve the security of energy supply, increasing the share of renewable energy is also a priority and there are a number of programmes at an EU and national level dealing with this.

European Commission:

• Here is an overview of all EU energy efficiency measures
• More information on the Commission’s and national governments support programmes for increasing the share of renewable energy use in the EU
• The Energy Efficiency Toolkit for SMEs proposes a step-by-step procedure that evaluates energy consumption and costs in an organisation. It identifies losses and suggests improvement to achieve the highest possible level of energy efficiency
• Intelligent Energy – Europe is the EU funding mechanism for energy efficiency measures.

EU legislation:

• Here is a list of the EU’s legislation on energy

Other useful links (external):

• ManageEnergy organises a network of regional organisations working on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. It can provide advice and information on funding programmes, local contact points, as well as information on energy legislation at an EU and national level.
• Intelligent Energy – Europe is the EU funding mechanism for energy efficiency measures.
• Office Equipment: The Energy Star Programme – a voluntary energy labelling programme for office equipment
• The GreenBuilding Programme – a voluntary programme aiming at improving the energy efficiency of non-residential buildings
• Codes of Conduct – a voluntary agreement for the reduction of stand-by losses for External Power Supplies and for Digital TV Services
• The GreenLight Programme – an initiative encouraging non-residential electricity consumers to install energy-efficient lighting technologies in their facilities
• The European Motor Challenge Programme – a voluntary initiative to help industrial companies in improving energy efficiency of their electric motor driven systems

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