30 n ENERGY EFFICIENCY September 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Energy efficiency: Europe’s route to a leaner, cleaner future Europe’s energy transition is at a crossroads. Growing electricity demand and escalating regulatory pressures pose serious challenges to achieving climate goals, while also disadvantaging European companies compared to global competitors operating with lower costs. Yet, amid the efforts to decarbonise and secure energy supply, one powerful remedy still holds significant untapped potential: energy efficiency. While many industrial strategies already incorporate efficiency measures, the challenge now lies in scaling up and accelerating these efforts. There’s still a tendency to assume that achieving net-zero will depend on innovation, when in fact, the tools we need are already available. So, the main issue is not technological readiness, but rather the scale, speed, and urgency of adoption. As Europe invests in renewable energy generation and upgrading its infrastructure, we must equally prioritise improving the efficiency of our current use of energy. Energy efficiency is the fastest, cleanest, and most cost-effective approach available to drive the energy transition, which explains why the International Energy Agency (IEA) describes it as the “first fuel”. Energy security Europe remains highly dependent on imports, with more than 60% of its energy sourced externally. This dependency makes its energy security vulnerable, which was highlighted during the recent energy crisis when prices surged to unprecedented highs, impacting both businesses and households. Complex sustainability reporting obligations, entrenched bureaucracy, and slow policy implementation across industries and countries, do little to alleviate this pressure. Unsurprisingly, some businesses still perceive the energy transition as an being an unnecessary cost without immediate returns. However, reducing electricity consumption, curbing waste, and lengthening equipment lifespans, bring direct savings and operational benefits. Payback periods for some of these efficiency investments can be as short as seven months, offering swift, continuing While we focus on adopting new energy supply technologies, including renewables, to achieve climate goals, we risk ignoring the vast potential of improving the efficiency of existing installations. Erich Labuda, president of ABB’s Motion Services division, argues that efficiency needs to be a cornerstone in the energy transition. The copper producer, Aurubis, has achieved a 28% reduction in energy consumption at its Pirdop site in Bulgaria, by installing 450 highefficiency motors and 300 VSDs.
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