The Urgency of Energy Efficiency in the EU’s built environment: Why SEFA's Work is Critical

The Sustainable Energy Finance Association (SEFA) is an independent, not-for-profit industry association that represents all of the stakeholders in the sustainable energy ecosystem, and in particular, energy efficiency in the built environment.

 Our aim is to accelerate and scale-up the deployment of energy efficient technologies and services to transform an ageing, inefficient infrastructure into clean, intelligent high performance grid assets that will provide substantial economic, social and environmental benefits to future generations.

We cannot continue on a business as usual trajectory in the built environment…

Why? Because buildings account for 37% of global energy use and energy-related CO2 emissions…

 We cannot continue on a business as usual trajectory in the built environment. If we don’t act NOW, we will not achieve our carbon reduction targets, irrespective of how much intermittent renewable energy we deploy between now and 2030. Why? Because buildings account for 37% of global energy use and energy-related CO2 emissions, and are a leading contributor to climate change.

In addition, member state grids cannot adapt their transmission and distribution networks overnight, so failure to pursue energy efficiency in our building stock now will inevitably mean 2030 ambitions on climate and energy transition are missed. We can’t keep talking the talk, or even walking the walk, we need to run - urgent preparation and implementation is required!

SEFA is the first of a kind industry association that brings all of the different stakeholders in the ecosystem together, acknowledges and addresses the institutional and business as usual barriers faced by these stakeholders, and will work collectively to develop a path forward for all. 

This is important work. We need the entire industry to work together if we are to succeed.  This includes the finance community, government, ESCOs, contractors, asset owners, property managers and technology and service providers.