The Committee of the Regions (CoR), the body representing local and regional governments at EU level, has adopted an opinion on the European Commission's legislative proposal "Renewable energy and the internal market in electricity", calling for Member States to set binding targets for the share of renewable sources in their energy mix that surpass the EU-mandated target of 27 percent by 2030.

Within the opinion document, the CoR criticises the European Commission's proposals for not defining the role of local and regional authorities clearly enough, and emphasises the importance of their contribution to achieving climate protection goals.

Member States should intensify efforts to eliminate administrative obstacles to adopting renewable energy, and place a renewed emphasis on planning, implementing and reporting at national, regional, and local level, according to the document.

The document also notes that it is necessary "to clearly emphasise the importance of regional cooperation on the renewable energy market" as "cooperation at regional level can bring significant economic benefits as well as offering real potential for joint development of the internal market in electricity."

To read the CoR's opinion paper in full, visit the CoR website.Image copyright: Image (Pixabay) more   3 August 2017 FIESTA guide aims to save families money on their energy billA guide released by the EU-funded FIESTA project provides European families with helpful advice on lowering their energy bill and their carbon footprint. Aimed at the general public, the document looks at general areas of household energy consumption, from heating and cooling to cooking, outlining simple ways to save money.

The guide starts from the basics, showing how energy bills are calculated and the various sources from which energy is drawn. Installation costs for items such as solar panels and biomass heating systems are weighed against long-term savings, allowing readers to easily contrast the various options.

Short explanations are provided on steps to reduce household energy consumption, such as using blinds and shutters to save energy, maintaining radiators properly, and installing high performance windows.

Each piece of advice is accompanied by a graphic displaying the amount of money that can be saved by following it.

Lighting is explored in-depth, with the energy consumption - and cost - of various lightbulbs looked at: LED bulbs emerge as the most eco-friendly choice. Recommended lighting in each room of the house is also included.

The costs involved in running household appliances is explored, with the authors noting that if every home appliance is A-class, power consumption is reduced by 55 percent on average.

Funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme and coordinated by AREA Science Park, the FIESTA project encourages energy efficiency by providing information to citizens.

To download the guide, click here.Image copyright: Image (Pixabay) more

» Publication Date: 07/08/2017

» Source: Iclei Europe

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