Energy Efficiency

Energy audits are becoming vital for SMEs in Europe, offering detailed analysis of energy usage and efficiency, highlighting cost-saving measures. They notably influence investment decisions in energy-efficient technologies, with smaller firms and innovative companies benefitting the most. However, financial constraints remain a barrier to implementing energy-saving opportunities.

The European Commission issued guidelines to aid EU member states in adopting the Energy Efficiency Directive by October 2025. Recommendation 2024/2002 promotes an integrated approach to energy audits, management systems, and sustainability reporting, supporting compliance with broader EU directives.

The study explores how digitalization enhances operational performance in Indonesia's food and beverage sector, stressing improvements in quality, productivity, and cost efficiency through technologies like IoT, robotics, cloud computing, and blockchain.

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive sets binding targets to reduce energy use by 2030 and introduces measures across sectors for energy savings, prioritizing efficiency, sustainability, and enhanced energy security for European citizens and businesses, requiring member states to implement various efficiency strategies and reporting mechanisms.

The European Investment Bank Group, with European Commission support, will provide €17.5 billion in financing for over 350,000 European SMEs to enhance energy efficiency, nearly doubling current aid, aiming for a total investment of over €65 billion by 2027.

The paper emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency in European SMEs, which are crucial to the continent's economy and competitiveness. The EU-funded DEESME 2050 project highlights the potential benefits of improving energy performance in the furniture industry. Investments and policy implementation must accelerate to meet the EU's 2030 climate goals, and new initiatives like EEEFC aim to support this transition. Financial intermediaries are identified as vital for SMEs to access funds, leveraging experiences from organizations like EEIP and state-owned banks to facilitate this process.

The paper highlights the revolution of motor systems through digital technologies enhancing efficiency, despite challenges such as lack of standardization and cybersecurity risks. Innovations include smart sensors, IoT, and AI-driven analytics, with case studies showing significant energy savings. Opportunities exist for professionals in data science and cybersecurity.

The M-Benefits project reveals that energy efficiency investments often overlook crucial benefits like product quality, operational risk reduction, and competitiveness. This gap persists despite clear profitability, as conventional appraisal methods focus narrowly on energy savings. The project provides tools, training, and case studies to help professionals communicate and leverage a project's full value, urging a shift to encompass strategic business outcomes, beyond mere technical improvements.

DEESME project enhances EU energy management via collaboration, clear communications and focusing on multiple benefits, addressing challenges SMEs face in compliance, audit quality, and recognizing wider advantages of energy efficiency beyond savings.