The Enefirst Plus team joined the eceee summer study of 2026 to share and discuss the Energy Efficiency First Principle under various lenses and how the project is bringing the principle in pilot cases, EU policy and CBA principles. Discover the presentations below:
Samuel Thomas presented the evolution of energy efficiency policy in an era of rapid energy transitions. His presentation raised critical questions on policy frameworks and keeping up with decarbonisation needs. The focuse was on how existing energy efficiency programs need to be fundamentally redesigned to support broader climate goals (like electrification and renewable integration) rather than just looking at traditional, isolated energy savings.
Moving from theory to practice, this presentation evaluated the practical realities of the 2023 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) recast. While the EED explicitly mandates that the EE1st principle be applied to all energy planning, policy, and major investments, actual implementation is often a roadblock for stakeholders. Marco Peretto reviewed the real-life outcomes and key lessons learned from the 4 pilot cases produced by Enefirst Plus , outlining how local actors can bridge the gap from regulatory compliance to real-world governance.
This session focused on the technical challenges of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) in energy systems. Traditionally, supply-side options (like building new power plants or infrastructure) are modeled differently than demand-side options (saving energy). Tim Mandel introduced new CBA guidance and practical methodologies designed to put energy efficiency and energy supply on an even playing field, ensuring that the multiple societal and economic benefits of reducing demand are fairly calculated against building new generation capacity.
Register early for the Enefirst Plus final conference: “Energy Efficiency First: Seeding change and maximising multiple impacts” on 1st October 2026 in Brussels and online!
