EU Requirements for Mandatory Energy Audit

Abstract

The 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. According to Art. 8 EED large companies are now required to regularly undergo mandatory energy audits or to implement energy management systems. The legal basis for energy efficiency action in Hungary is the Act LVII of 2015 on Energy Efficiency. Detailed provisions for industrial energy audits are included in Cabinet Regulation No. 122/2015. (V. 26.). The study deals with some issues concerning the Hungarian transposition in the light of provisions taken by other member states. Based on the analysis, it is the author’s opinion that the Hungarian regulation sets up more bureaucratic burdens, which are necessary to the implementation of the EU energy efficiency targets. These provisions weaken the chance of the companies to reduce their energy consumption in a cost-efficient way.