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).
