Background for the Directive Sample Clauses

Background for the Directive. The EU is promoting a set of directives orientated to establish the building energy consumption basic standards; the EPBD has been developed in this context. As most of the EU directives’ background is stated in the Treaty establishing the European Community and in this particular case, in Articles 175 and 271 whereas; Treaty requires environmental protection requirements to be integrated into the definition and implementation of Community policies and actions. The natural resources, to the prudent and rational utilisation of which Article 174 of the Treaty refers, include oil products, natural gas and solid fuels, which are essential sources of energy but also the leading sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Increased energy efficiency constitutes an important part of the package of policies and measures needed to comply with the Kyoto Protocol and should appear in any policy package to meet further commitments. Demand management of energy is an important tool enabling the Community to influence the global energy market and hence the security of energy supply in the medium and long term. In its conclusions of 30 May 2000 and of 5 December 2000, the Council endorsed the Commission's action plan on energy efficiency and requested specific measures in the building sector. The residential and tertiary sector, the major part of which is buildings, accounts for more than 40 % of final energy consumption in the Community and is expanding, a trend which is bound to increase its energy consumption and hence also its carbon dioxide emissions Council Directive 93/76/EEC of 13 September 1993 to limit carbon dioxide emissions by improving energy efficiency (SAVE) (5), which requires Member States to develop, implement and report on programmes in the field of energy efficiency in the building sector, is now starting to show some important benefits. However, a complementary legal instrument is needed to lay down more concrete actions with a view to achieving the great unrealised potential for energy savings and reducing the large differences between Member States' results in this sector. The energy performance of buildings should be calculated on the basis of a methodology, which may be differentiated at regional level that includes, in addition to thermal insulation, other factors that play an increasingly important role such as heating and air-conditioning installations, application of renewable energy sources and design of the building. A common approach to this proc...