Report on international experiences with E1st

The new report constitutes a step towards achieving the objective of making the Efficiency First (E1st) principle operational in EU decision making. The report includes 16 examples of how E1st has been applied in different contexts, from promoting the fabric first approach in buildings, enabling demand response to compete on electricity markets, requiring demand-side resources to be better taken into account in energy planning, to demand flexibility in district heating and avoiding new power plants.

Each example details the implementation bodies, how the E1st principle has been implemented and the related barriers, replicability and scalability potential. The report also provides an overview about why E1st has been implemented, how the approach to E1st can be categorized, and what lessons can be learned from these experiences.

The examples show policymakers, regulators, and energy policy actors that the concept of E1st can be implemented and can provide various benefits to the energy transition.