The IEA's 10th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency opens in Brussels today, bringing together ministers, CEOs, experts and civil society representatives from close to 100 countries to advance international progress on one of the most important tools for making energy more secure, affordable and sustainable.
Co-hosted by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen, the two-day event will explore how to implement effective efficiency policies to unlock investment and improve affordability and competitiveness - especially for small businesses and low-income households.
One of the key themes is industrial efficiency. Improvements in industrial energy efficiency have yielded significant benefits over the years - today, the world's industries can produce nearly 20% more value for a given amount of energy than they could two decades ago, according to a new IEA report released for the conference. However, this progress has now stalled. Since 2019, the industrial sector has accounted for around 80% of the growth in global energy demand, but without much improvement in its energy intensity.
With efficiency progress in the sector slowing sharply, ministers and business leaders at the Global Conference will examine how digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, can help optimise operations and reduce consumption. Increasing industrial efficiency improvements could help safeguard jobs and lower operating costs across global supply chains. It can also enable small and medium-sized enterprises to compete more effectively amid energy price fluctuations.
"Energy efficiency is about so much more than just energy. It delivers clear benefits for people, lowering their bills, improving businesses' competitiveness and creating jobs. Efficiency is about better lives and healthier economies," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "As such, I'm very pleased to be co-chairing the 10th edition of the IEA's Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency with Commissioner Jørgensen here in Brussels, bringing together participants from close to 100 countries from around the world, to drive stronger progress in this vital area."
"The most effective solutions are often in front of our eyes, but we fail to see them," said European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen. "Energy efficiency can bring about immense gains in terms of affordability and decarbonization. As we aim to double the rate of global improvements by 2030 and have ambitious domestic goals in Europe, I trust that this conference will help shed light on the most overlooked solution of the green transition: energy efficiency."
Buildings and appliances will also be in focus, with policy makers discussing how to expand building codes, retrofit existing stock, and raise efficiency standards for fast-growing product categories such as air conditioners. Today, five air conditioners are sold globally every second, but most are only half as efficient as the best available models.
The IEA conference in Brussels builds on momentum from the previous edition held in Nairobi in 2024, the first hosted by an African country, where more than 650 delegates reaffirmed the urgency of scaling up energy efficiency investment, especially in emerging and developing economies. It also follows on from the COP28 conference in Dubai in 2023, where nearly 200 countries pledged to double the global rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. The latest IEA data shows progress remains well below that goal.
The conference in Brussels is expected to serve as a catalyst for faster implementation and deeper collaboration across borders. Delegates will review national progress, share policy innovations and identify the next steps needed to unlock efficiency's full potential for people and countries around the world.
This year's Global Conference is being held in partnership with the Energy Efficiency Movement, a global initiative to scale up the adoption of energy-efficient solutions in industry. On the eve of the conference, the chief executives of 18 international companies made a major commitment under the lead of the Energy Efficiency Movement to advance energy efficiency as an enabler for industrial productivity, competitiveness and emissions reductions.
