Article 6 of the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU.
Article 6 of the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU is focused on the establishment of energy efficiency obligation schemes by EU Member States. These schemes are designed to encourage energy distributors and retail energy sales companies to achieve energy savings by promoting energy efficiency measures among end-users.
Under Article 6, EU Member States are required to establish either energy efficiency obligation schemes or alternative measures that deliver an equivalent result in terms of energy savings. The schemes and measures should help achieve the overall energy savings targets set by the directive.
Key points of Article 6 include:
Setting Targets: Member States are required to set national energy efficiency targets, specifying the amount of energy savings that should be achieved over a certain period.
Obligated Parties: Energy distributors and retail energy sales companies are designated as obligated parties. These entities are required to achieve energy savings equivalent to a certain percentage of their annual energy sales, by promoting energy efficiency improvements among their customers.
Measuring and Reporting: Obligated parties need to measure and verify the energy savings achieved through their actions and report them to the competent authorities.
Flexibility: Member States have some flexibility in designing their energy efficiency obligation schemes or alternative measures, allowing them to tailor the approach to their specific circumstances.
Penalties: Member States are required to establish penalties for obligated parties that fail to meet their energy savings targets.
Trading of Energy Savings: Article 6 also allows for the possibility of trading energy savings between obligated parties to help achieve targets more efficiently.
Exemptions: Some obligated parties may be exempted or have reduced obligations under certain circumstances, such as if they can demonstrate that they have made significant energy efficiency improvements already.
