1. 1 Expert Evaluation Network Synthesis report on renewable energy & energy efficiency in housing Cvetina Yocheva Evaluation network, Brussels,20 th October 2011

2. 2 Objectives Report synthesised findings of 27 national reports which examined: National policies in place in Member States to support energy efficiency in housing Contribution of ERDF to these Rationale for government intervention in this area Rationale for Cohesion policy support

3. 3 National policies – renewables National support focused mostly on electricity generation  Most common: feed-in tariffs, quotas (green certificates) Support to renewable energy for heating  Direct grants (DE, IT, AT)  low interest loans (DE, EE, PL, LT, SL)  tax concessions (ES, LV, NL, PT, SK, FI, SE, BE, UK)  Supporting R&D of new technology (SE, DE, UK) Support varies across countries and types and renewable energies

4. 4 National policies – energy efficiency All countries support investment in energy efficiency in buildings. Support varies:  Grants  Subsidised loans  Tax concessions Support often coupled with:  Incentives to switch to renewable energies for heating & cooling  Standards/regulations for new buildings  Certificate for energy consumption when buying/selling Regulations vary in strictness/extent

5. 5 ERDF & CF support to renewables 2% of total funding for 2007-2013 (4,6 billion) allocated to energy efficiency + renewables  Wind (EE)  Solar thermal (BE, CY, ES, BG, SL, MT)  Bio-mass (LT, AT, FI)  Hydroelectric/geothermal (GR, LV, SK) Small amount of EU funding allocated to renewables (Much of the support to renewable energy is not categorised as such  DK, FI, AT, SL – R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship

6. 6 ERDF & CF energy efficiency in housing Originally excluded from eligible area of interventions in the initial regulation 2007-2013 Eligible for support since June 2009 in all MS  But very small financial allocations (EU average 2%)  Mostly supported by national funding Little or no funding allocated to energy efficiency in housing  No funding allocated in DE, AT, SL, DK, CY  Mostly focus on public buildings & social housing

7. 7 Is public intervention justified? Yes but only in some cases  evening up living conditions across regions  stimulating local employment  reducing EU energy use – (fossil fuel consumption) Strong case if support is focused on social housing, low income households and deprived areas EU funding particularly important in EU12 + southern Member States of EU15  But need to ensure funding used in cost-effective way targeted where support is most needed

8. 8 Is public intervention justified? Open questions still remain  The scale of the support  The form of the support  Who should bear the costs  Contribution to regional development Programme documents rarely address these questions

9. 9 Conclusions There is a clear role for the Structural Funds to support measures to assist and stimulate investment in energy efficiency in housing (and buildings generally) But it is not only a question of financial support  The aim should be to provide sufficient incentives for investment in energy efficiency (grants/preferential loans)  Effective regulation and certification schemes (these cost money to establish and enforce) – possible case for EU funding to provide support  Support should be larger for deprived areas/low income owners

10. 10 Thank you for your attention! Reports available on Inforegio http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information/evaluations/index_e n.cfm#1