Law on the efficient use of energy should be adopted in the first quarter of next year, said the Deputy Minister of Energy of Serbia Dejan Trifunovic.
“The law will be sent into procedure in front of the Serbian government by the end of the year, and after that in the first quarter of next year it will be adopted in the parliament, and the most important effects of the law are expected in 2014” Trifunovic said at a public hearing regarding this law at the Palace of Serbia.
According to him, the objective of the law is to ensure and stimulate the rational, responsible and sustainable use of energy.
“The law will contribute to the increased security of energy supply, reduce import dependence, increase the competitiveness of the economy and standard of living,” Trifunovic said.
He added that it will also create conditions for the employment of highly skilled personnel and facilitate the fulfillment of the obligations of the state regarding the use of renewable energy sources.
The law will reduce the negative effects of the energy sector on the environment and carbon dioxide emission, Trifunovic said, noting that it would also enable the fulfillment of obligations under the Energy Community Treaty, and help the process of joining the EU.
“The law is moving towards the strategic plan and the international commitment of Serbia to save nine percent of gross final energy consumption by 2018″Trifunovic said.
He recalled that the energy consumption in Serbia is at least two to three times higher than in EU and that Serbia is heavily dependent on energy imports – it imports 33.6 percent, and that the emission of gases from the energy sector is 76 percent.
Trifunovic said that the law will be cover industry of services, the public sector, households and transport including production, transmission and distribution of energy, as well as producers, importers and sellers which affect energy consumption.
The law covers boiler owners of over 20 kilowatts, and the owners of air conditioning systems rated at more than 12 kilowatts.
The law introduces an organized energy management, energy audits of facilities, indication of the products with a significant influence on energy consumption, as well as the minimum requirements for energy efficiency. The Law also introduces charging according to the energy consumption, required ecodesign, energy efficiency will be introduced as a criterion in public procurement, and one of the key novelties will be a budget fund for energy efficiency.
Local governments with more than 20,000 residents will have to make a three years program promoting energy efficiency in the transport, and to determine and follow up on the indicators of energy consumption in transport.
Source Serbia Energy Magazine
