Reflections from eceee Zero Carbon Industry 2026, Rome
Could energy efficiency become a decisive geopolitical lever for Europe’s industrial future?
This question hovered — sometimes explicitly, often implicitly — over many discussions at this year’s eceee Zero Carbon Industry conference in Rome.
What only a few years ago was framed primarily as a climate protection instrument is now rapidly evolving into something broader, more strategic, and more urgent.
Participants of the conference widely agreed that energy efficiency should become a cornerstone of Europe’s economic sovereignty and industrial resilience.
From Climate Instrument to Security Strategy
Europe’s dependency on imported energy has long been an economic vulnerability. Recent geopolitical developments have transformed this vulnerability into a strategic risk.
For experts across panels, the equation is simple — yet powerful — and cannot be repeated often enough: The less energy Europe consumes, the less energy Europe must import.
Every kilowatt-hour not consumed by European industry is one that companies do not have to pay for — and the savings remain entirely within their own balance sheets, directly strengthening competitiveness.
In times of volatile global alliances and shifting trade relations, reducing demand becomes an act of stabilisation. Energy efficiency therefore delivers three strategic benefits simultaneously:
- Lower industrial energy costs
- Reduced exposure to global price shocks
- Increased independence from external suppliers
This applies not only to imports from Russia, but equally to dependencies linked to LNG markets, U.S. energy exports, and global fossil supply chains influenced by China and other major energy players.
Decarbonisation Meets Geopolitics
Until recently, industrial decarbonisation has most often been discussed in environmental terms — CO₂ reduction, climate neutrality, ESG compliance. In Rome, however, the narrative broadened.
Decarbonisation through efficiency is now also about:
- Safeguarding industrial production in Europe
- Protecting value chains
- Strengthening competitiveness
- Building resilience against geopolitical pressure
This reframing gives energy efficiency new political momentum — driven not only by climate ambition, but by the urgent need for economic and strategic autonomy.
Against this backdrop, the panel featuring EiiF delivered a timely policy reality check — assessing how effectively current programmes are actually triggering industrial energy efficiency investments.
Policy Reality Check: When Programmes Reach Their Limits
Across Europe, numerous national programmes have been introduced to stimulate industrial energy efficiency — from subsidy schemes and tax incentives to mandatory audits and obligation systems.
While each initiative has created momentum, their real-world impact often remains below expectations.
A key conclusion shared across the panel was that:
Any programme showed its limitations — and sometimes even inefficiencies — due to a lack of priority in industry for energy efficiency solutions, as they are not considered core business.
Where efficiency investments compete with production investments, they are frequently postponed — even when economically attractive. Administrative complexity, limited enforcement, and fragmented implementation further dilute impact.
From Incentives to Performance Requirements
The discussion therefore moved beyond incentives toward structural implementation mechanisms.
Technical insulation — one of the fastest payback energy efficiency measures in industry — served as a practical example of where policy could shift from encouragement to performance alignment.
Here, the panel exchange converged on a clear proposal:
Introducing mandatory Insulation Energy Efficiency Class C according to EN 17956 across European industry.
EN 17956 is the European standard defining energy efficiency classes for technical insulation systems — performance-based, material-neutral, and auditable — allowing insulation quality to be evaluated based on energy performance rather than product type.
Such a regulatory approach would not impose additional economic burden for its own sake.
Instead, it would create a minimum performance priority for a solution from which industry benefits immediately once implemented — operationally and financially.
With average payback periods of around two years, efficient insulation investments recover their cost rapidly and continue generating savings over the asset lifecycle.
From Theory to Practice: EiiF’s TIPCHECK Side Event
Complementing the policy dialogue, EiiF’s Side Event translated strategy into operational reality.
Under the title “From Theory to Practice: 15 Years of TIPCHECK,” certified TIPCHECK Experts and industry practitioners shared hands-on thermal energy auditing experience.
Participants from industrial parks, governmental organisations, and major manufacturing companies engaged directly with:
- Real case studies
- Implementation challenges
- Standardisation frameworks
- Live thermography demonstrations
Using infrared cameras, contact thermometers, and the TIPCHECK TOOL, attendees analysed simulated cases and visualised heat losses in real time.
Making the Invisible Visible
The demonstrations reinforced a simple but often overlooked reality: Thermal losses from uninsulated or poorly insulated equipment remain largely invisible in day-to-day operations — particularly at temperatures above ambient. But invisibility does not mean irrelevance.
The session made heat loss measurable, tangible, and actionable — translating efficiency potential into operational decision-making.
Solutions Exist — Urgency Is New
A recurring theme across all panels and side events at the Zero Carbon Industry conference was striking — and became tangible through EiiF’s panel contribution and practical session: Europe does not lack energy efficiency technology.
From digital auditing tools to performance standards and mature technical solutions, the instruments required to drive industrial energy efficiency are already available. What has changed is the geopolitical and economic urgency to deploy these solutions — quickly and at scale.
From “Nice to Have” to Strategic Infrastructure
In closing the Side Event, EiiF Foundation Director Andreas Gürtler summarised the shift succinctly:
Energy efficiency must move rapidly from a “nice to have” sustainability measure to a “must have” element of strategic industrial infrastructure.
Efficiency is no longer only about saving energy — it is about securing Europe’s industrial future, strengthening competitiveness, and reinforcing industrial freedom in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape.
Article to be published in Dutch in the first 2026 issue of Isolatie4all
