New EU Energy Efficiency Directive adopts 35 years of Danish experience

The directive is unique, because it co-ordinates the energy supply sector and the end-use sector and supplement other important directives.

The overall aim of all directives is to guide member states to reduce the dependency of fossil fuels in a cost effective way.
For the energy supply sector, the proposal requires Member State

1. to adopt national heating and cooling plans for all local and regional authorities to develop the potential for high-efficiency generation and efficient district heating and cooling
2. to adopt authorisation criteria that ensure that all new power plant installations are located in sites close to heat demand points and that installations are refurbished with high-efficiency CHP units

The Renewable Energy Directive also states that authorities shall elaborate heating and cooling plans for cost effective supply of buildings with low carbon energy through these grids

The Building Directive requires that buildings shall be nearly zero taking into account CHP and renewable energy sources via the district heating and cooling

These requirements are already implemented in Denmark for heating, whereas cooling and buildings lack behind

Since the Danish Electricity Act was adopted in 1976, all new power capacity has been near cities and equipped with efficient CHP units
Since the Danish Heat Supply Act was adopted in 1980, all authorities have developed heating plans to utilize the CHP potential and renewable energy sources

Århus was the first city to adopt a heat plan and it was co-ordinated with the approval of refurbishment of an existing power plant, Studstrupværket. The Copenhagen Region was the first region to adopt a regional heat plan and many municipal heat plans which were co-ordinated with approval of a completely new power plant at a new site close to the city, namely Aveøreværket.

The result of this co-ordinated energy efficiency planning of CHP and heat in Denmark is remarkable. The consumption of fossil fuels for the heating sector has been reduced to 40 % in 30 years in the most cost effective way for the society of Denmark. The main elements in the plans have been an extensive expansion of the district heating market and the share of CHP in the district heating production. In Heat Plan Denmark we have demonstrated this development and showed how the heating sector can be nearly zero carbon within the coming 20 years in a cost effective way

Ramboll has taken part in all this development and is prepared to transfer this experience to other EU member states