Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)

The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) is the European Union's main legal framework for reducing energy consumption across the EU. The current text is Directive (EU) 2023/1791, a recast of the earlier Directive 2012/27/EU. It forms part of EU climate and energy policy, alongside initiatives such as the Fit for 55 package, and has a direct bearing on the energy efficiency of companies and public bodies.

Principles and targets

The directive establishes the “energy efficiency first” principle, which means that savings and efficiency measures are considered before other energy investment decisions. It also sets a binding EU-level target to reduce energy consumption by 2030. Each Member State has to bring the directive into national law. In Spain, the energy and climate policy framework includes instruments such as the PNIEC and the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law 7/2021.

What the directive requires

• Energy audits or an energy management system: large companies with high energy consumption must carry out energy audits or implement an energy management system, such as the one defined by the ISO 50001 standard.
• Public sector measures: it includes specific provisions for public administrations regarding their energy use.
• Data centre reporting: it sets reporting obligations on the energy consumption of data centres.

What it means for your company

It is worth checking which requirements apply to your organisation and how they have been reflected in national legislation. Either way, knowing how much energy each site and activity consumes is the starting point for an audit, a management system or an improvement plan. The same data feeds the calculation of Scope 2 emissions and of the organisation's carbon footprint, so organising it once lets you reuse it across several reports. Having traceable consumption data also makes it easier to show auditors and customers how energy use has evolved over time.

At Manglai we automate the collection and traceability of ESG data, such as carbon footprint, waste management and product footprint data, and our AI reads supplier invoices and documents in PDF. That helps you keep your data organised, aligned with the GHG Protocol methodology and ready for audit. Discover how Manglai can help you.