During the meeting, Ribera highlighted the transformative power of energy efficiency programs, especially in the case of vulnerable groups, and defended the need to combine them with actions in other areas, such as digitization. In his opinion, these are areas that constitute an engine for job creation and that are necessary at a time like this, of economic recovery.
At the event, the IEA has presented ten key recommendations of the World Commission for Urgent Action on Energy Efficiency, a document in which Ribera has participated. Specifically, key levers are identified such as prioritizing cross-cutting action in the area of energy efficiency to enhance all its economic, social and environmental benefits; act to unlock your job creation potential; encourage the demand for solutions based on energy efficiency; mobilize finances to promote this field and take advantage of digital innovation to improve the efficiency of the system and increase global ambition in this area, among others.
The vice president has highlighted, in particular, the need to involve society as a whole in energy efficiency measures, given the potential for multiplying investment by creating more efficient modes of production and improving the quality of life of households.
At this point, Ribera has encouraged to propose comprehensive efficiency projects, especially interesting in a recovery context. He has given as an example the opportunities involved in the retrofitting of an entire neighborhood, projects that can generate not only social and economic benefits for his neighbors, but a cultural and emotional connection with the program. These types of initiatives, in his opinion, must be part of the process of Green Recovery that is being designed in the European Union and that includes measures in this field of action.
Ribera has also opted to work not only in the regulatory field, which is key to establishing frameworks, but also in creating adequate fiscal signals that drive financial innovation towards more energy efficient ways.
Finally, he highlighted the potential of digitization as a tool for efficiency. Through technology it is possible to achieve savings of over 10% using real-time data.
