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Politics for greater energy efficiency

Many different actors are involved in energy policies in Germany. A principal focus is placed on energy efficiency, as it is one of the main pillars for reaching the energy and climate policy targets.

In this process, dena advises the political and industrial sectors with the aim of using energy efficiency to achieve a successful energy transition.

Statistics & facts

50 %
reduction in the consumption of primary energy compared with
– this is the energy transition target declared by the Federal Government’s for the year 2050.
13293 PJ
in primary energy
– this is how much Germans consumed in 2015. It was 14.4 exajoules in the reference year 2008.
346
million tonnes was the German reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, compared with 1990.
56 %
higher energy productivity
was achieved by Germany between 1990 and 2015.

One field of politics with many actors

Energy efficiency

The energy transition will only succeed if we manage to use energy far more efficiently. Focused on this goal, dena advises a variety of stakeholders in politics, industry and society, mediating between the actors and their extremely diverse interests.

The target “energy transition” is defined, but stakeholders in politics, industry and society do not always agree on which steps and how fast these steps need to be taken. One thing is certain: The energy transition will only succeed if energy efficiency is improved significantly. Merely expanding the use of renewable energy expansion will not be sufficient to reach the EU and Federal Government’s climate protection targets. Instead it is imperative to reduce the consumption of energy in general. The Federal Government has made clear: primary energy consumption must be halved by 2050, compared with 2008 levels.

The topic of energy efficiency is relevant to many different areas, for instance the building sector, transport,  domestic appliances and all industrial processes. It is therefore necessary to give due consideration to the interests of consumers, workers, companies and energy providers. This is why the political parties and the ministries responsible for energy and climate protection on a federal and state level are not the only stakeholders actively involved in energy efficiency politics. Numerous lobby groups also attempt to influence the relevant political processes. They include industrial and environmental associations, as well as social welfare organisations.

dena advises politicians and industry representatives

As they set about making decisions on laws, ordinances, funding programmes or structural compensation programmes, the political actors are at pains to listen to different opinions, to share experience – also in an international context – and to seek consensus. As an “agency for the applied energy transition”, dena therefore acts as a key advisor to ministries, manufacturers and service providers. It organises events with experts in the area of energy efficiency policies, promotes national and international networks and prepares studies and reports. The Federal Government uses dena’s competencies and its consulting services.

The Federal Government’s energy policy

At the end of 2014, the Federal Government launched the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency to define the thrust of its energy efficiency policies for the legislative period ahead. In addition,  it published the Green Paper on Energy Efficiency in 2016 to trigger a broad public debate to which stakeholders were welcome to contribute. This consultation processes is currently being analysed in order to infer  conclusions and recommended courses of action intended to outline how the energy transition will proceed successfully.

The Energy Efficiency Platform

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy launched a dialogue platform in order to discuss the government measures to increase energy efficiency with all of the relevant stakeholders. The Energy Efficiency Platform is used by actors from industry, civic society, science, the relevant departments and the federal states in order to develop new tools and to explore how to improve the general conditions. Together with the Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production at the University of Stuttgart, dena is responsible for the scientific and organisational support of this platform.

The “Allianz für Gebäude-Energie-Effizienz” (geea) – “Alliance for Building Energy Efficiency”.

Buildings account for around 35 percent of total energy consumption nationwide. In total, Germans spend roughly 73 billion euros on heating rooms, hot water, lighting and air conditioning in residential and non-residential buildings. In order to increase the energy efficiency in this area, dena initiated a cross-sectoral alliance between leading companies and associations that has acquired a powerful vice in political debate: the Allianz für Gebäude-Energie-Effizienz (geea) (Alliance for Building Energy Efficiency).

Our projects

geea – “Allianz für Gebäude-Energie-Effizienz” (Alliance for Building Energy Efficiency)

The Alliance for Building Energy Efficiency (Allianz für Gebäude-Energie-Effizienz, geea) is a cross-sector consortium of leading enterprises, associations and organisations in the field of energy efficiency in the construction industry.

Overview

  • Project start: 2011
  • Positions and dialogue to improve building energy efficiency
  • Publication of numerous publications, organisation of political events
  • Participation in various dialogue formats
  • 2021: 10-year anniversary
  • 2023: Almost 30 members

LNG-Taskforce und Initiative Erdgasmobilität

Die dena koordiniert und moderiert die Initiative Erdgasmobilität und LNG-Taskforce als zentraler, branchenübergreifender Ansprechpartner für Erdgas und erneuerbares Methan als Kraftstoff in Deutschland. Sie unterstützt damit das Ziel der Bundesregierung, den Anteil von Erdgas am Kraftstoffmix auf vier Prozent zu steigern und die Klimaziele des Verkehrs bis 2030 zu erreichen. Im Jahr 2015 hat die dena gemeinsam mit dem DVGW und Zukunft Gas die LNG-Taskforce gegründet.

Overview

  • Projektstart 2011
  • September 2018: Übergabe eines Empfehlungskatalogs an das BMVI
  • Projektziel: Etablierung von LNG als Kraftstoff im Straßengüterverkehr
  • Schirmherrschaft: Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur
  • Project Information