Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy technologies, is urging the EU to urgently accelerate the development of energy efficiency and electrification in Europe as a unified, scalable, domestic, and sustainable response to the prolonged volatility of energy prices.
Global energy prices are expected to rise by 24% this year—the largest jump since 2022. Europe is particularly vulnerable to such changes, as energy costs here are typically two to four times higher than in other major regions of the world. Against this backdrop, Schneider Electric is calling on policymakers to stop viewing energy efficiency and electrification as an “add-on” to climate policy and to recognize them as Europe’s only scalable and domestic energy resources. Their accelerated implementation has the potential to generate at least €250 billion annually by 2040, reduce energy demand, decrease dependence on fossil fuels, and boost competitiveness.
Europe remains structurally vulnerable: the EU still relies on imports for nearly 60% of its energy resources, which cost €336.7 billion in 2025. This makes households, industry, and public services vulnerable to instability in global fossil fuel markets and geopolitical upheavals. Schneider Electric emphasizes that measures to improve energy efficiency and electrify end-use consumption can be implemented quickly and with a short payback period, delivering immediate benefits while accelerating the transition to a stronger and more energy-independent system.
Schneider Electric calls on the European Commission and EU member states to focus on five key policy steps:
Calls for support and incentives to help businesses scale proven, fast-return energy efficiency solutions that reduce demand within months.
Industry: Targeted support, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, to scale up energy management systems and implement low- or no-cost measures that can deliver savings of up to 30% over time and lay the groundwork for digitalized production.
2) Rapidly and consistently implement existing EU legislation on energy efficiency and buildings
Fully implement the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) to ensure a rapid anti-crisis effect. Specifically:
• Rapidly deploy building automation and control systems (BACS) under the EPBD, which can deliver annual savings of 450 TWh in final energy consumption, reduce CO₂ emissions by 64 million tons, and lower energy bills by €36 billion.
• Strengthen energy audit requirements under the EED by making the implementation of their recommendations mandatory—starting with small and medium-sized businesses—using leasing mechanisms and the “energy-as-a-service” financing model.
3) Accelerate electrification through targeted incentives
Despite the growth in electricity production from renewable sources, a significant portion of energy consumption—that is, the demand side—has not yet switched to electricity. As long as people drive gasoline-powered cars and heat their homes with gas, Europe will remain dependent on imported energy sources and price fluctuations.
Faster electrification will enable more effective integration of renewable energy and reduce dependence on price fluctuations for fossil fuels. It also has the potential to break a decade-long period of stagnation in Europe, which currently stands at 21% (10% behind China), where rapid electrification is taking place. Schneider Electric calls for:
• A significant scaling up of heat pump adoption (which are 3–5 times more efficient than gas boilers) with the goal of reaching one million installations annually by 2030. This requires supportive mechanisms that lower initial barriers for consumers, including tools such as social leasing.
• Faster electrification of transportation through targeted measures, including incentives to accelerate the electrification of corporate fleets, which will also foster the development of the used electric vehicle market.
4) Use taxation and funding to shift demand from fossil fuels to clean electricity
Schneider Electric calls on policymakers to make electrification economically attractive by:
• Reducing electricity taxes (including lowering VAT and excise taxes where possible) to narrow the gap between retail prices for electricity and gas.
• Redirecting and simplifying access to public funding to scale up energy efficiency and electrification—specifically funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and revenues from the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
• Keep any temporary mechanisms for capping or subsidizing gas prices to a minimum and short-term, as this discourages investment in clean energy resources.
5) Unleash self-generation, flexibility, and smart grids to lower bills
Remove barriers and create incentives for the development of flexibility, energy storage systems, and digitalization, which help reduce peak loads and system costs. Priorities include:
• Ensuring flexibility in buildings and industry through rooftop solar power plants (PV), energy storage systems, and digital control systems, as well as supporting demand response mechanisms.
• Faster and higher-quality deployment of “smart” meters with a focus on functionality, real-time data access, and system interoperability—primarily for large commercial buildings, industry, and EV charging infrastructure.
• More digitized power grids and smarter grid infrastructure planning, including support for grid efficiency technologies, results-oriented KPIs, and tariff models that incentivize peak load reduction and grid-friendly energy consumption.
Laurent Bataille, Executive Vice President of Operations for Europe at Schneider Electric, stated:
“The call for policymakers to prioritize energy efficiency and electrification is just as relevant today as it was four years ago. The solutions haven’t changed. However, during this time, Europe has weathered one energy crisis after another—without making the progress needed to protect itself from price shocks and sky-high costs that leave businesses, households, and industry so vulnerable.
“Complacency is Europe’s greatest energy risk. Plans to subsidize energy costs are merely a temporary solution that does not work in the long term. Europe needs structural changes—ones that will incentivize the adoption of clean technologies so that businesses and households permanently change their approach to energy consumption. We need policies that will foster the creation of an energy system built in Europe and for Europe—one that reduces dependence on volatility, ensures a clean and reliable energy supply, and allows Europe to remain competitive.”
About Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy technologies, driving efficiency and sustainability through the electrification, automation, and digitalization of industry, business, and residential spaces. The company’s technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and power grids to function as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing productivity, resilience, and sustainability.
The company’s portfolio includes smart devices, software-defined architectures, AI-based systems, digital services, and professional consulting services. With 160,000 employees and 1 million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric consistently ranks among the world’s most sustainable companies. Learn more at https://www.se.com/ua/uk/
