New E1st report on Demand-side resources

(23 Jun 2020) Case studies in a report from the ENEFIRST project demonstrates how demand-side resources can be more cost-effective from a societal perspective than investments in energy infrastructure for meeting policy objectives.

The Horizon 2020-supported project ENEFIRST – E1st – focusses on demand-side resources and how they can support the energy transition. Policy makers and regulators are key target groups for the results and messages coming out of the project.

The report analyses why and how the E1st principle has been implemented, and what lessons can be learned from these experiences. It includes 16 examples of how E1st has been applied in different contexts – from buildings, finance and planning, to gas and district heating. The case studies specify the implementation bodies, the barriers to the implementation of the E1st principle, their replicability and scalability potential.

For E1st, it is a decision principle that demand-side resources are applied systematically at any level to energy-related investment planning and is enabled by an “equal opportunity” policy design.

In the report, demand-side resources are referred to technologies and actions that reduce the quantity and/or temporal pattern of energy for the same energy service. It includes end-use efficiency (energy efficiency of equipment and buildings) and demand response (flexibility), which could include the use of storage.

E1s aims to make the “Efficiency First” (E1st) principle more concrete and operational and to improve the understanding of its relevance for decision processes related to energy demand and supply. It also aims to improve understanding to its broader impacts across sectors and markets, focusing on the building sector and related energy systems in EU Member States.

The examples are primarily focused on buildings and related energy systems.

View the report here

The examples can also be viewed separately on the website