Umbrella organisation demands cancellation of the additional certification requirement
Because of the hearing on the amendments to the Energy Services Act and the Energy Efficiency Act in the Bundestag’s Climate Protection and Energy Committee, the German Horticultural Association (ZVG) is urging the removal of regulations that go beyond the European requirements of the Energy Efficiency Directive. This applies in particular to energy thresholds that require an energy audit or an energy and environmental management system.
“The energy thresholds for an energy management system and the associated obligation to introduce energy management systems, energy audits, and their certifications mean an enormous increase in bureaucracy and huge five-figure costs for the companies concerned,” emphasizes ZVG Vice President Wilhelm Böck. According to him, the efficient use of energy is an integral part of the operational use of energy, so there is no need for additional certification.
The ZVG thus shares and supports the statements made by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) at the hearing in the Bundestag on 9 October 2024. In addition, the ZVG proposes the introduction of a simplified, lean energy audit in accordance with DIN ISO 50005 to relieve small and medium-sized companies of high audit requirements. The same already applies to public bodies.
The ZVG is also calling for shorter deadlines for the implementation plans for energy efficiency to be waived. Furthermore, limit values for waste heat information obligations must already be regulated in the law and not just in leaflets. It is imperative that waste heat avoidance and reutilisation obligations are dispensed. Like the DIHK, the ZVG recommends a one-to-one implementation of the European legal framework in this regard. In the area of waste heat, this only provides for an economic viability assessment of waste heat utilization for new or significantly modernized industrial plants of 8 MW or more.
Source: ZVG