What was the main focus of the KLENEN’22 conference?

The KLENEN’22 “Climate Change – Energy Awareness – Energy Efficiency” conference was held on 9-10 March 2022 in Siófok, at the Premium Hotel Panorama. The event, in which ENCO Energy was represented, addressed the most important issues of national and European energy policy, legislative changes and energy efficiency trends. Below is a summary of the key themes and developments from the conference.

 

Key topics and developments at KLENEN’22

The conference covered a number of key areas that could be relevant for both citizens and businesses in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability.

 

7/2006. (V. 24.) Amendment of TNM Regulation

A 7/2006. (24.V.) TNM Regulation was a priority topic. The draft regulation was sent to the State Secretariat for Public Administration for adoption, but was returned to the Energy Efficiency Department with a number of questions. As a consequence:

• Adoption: it will certainly not be adopted in the spring.
• KNE deadline: it is not expected to be adopted before the KNE (near-zero energy requirement) deadline of 1 July 2022, so new buildings will still have to meet the current KNE (25% renewable energy).

 

RRF-6.2.1 Residential Solar PV Call for Proposals

A “Support for residential solar systems and electrification of heating systems in combination with solar PV systems”, according to recent news on the RRF-6.2.1 call:

• Support: all eligible applicants will receive a non-repayable grant for the installation of solar panels or a complex heating retrofit based on renewable energy.
• Budget: the predefined budget will also be increased.
• Abolition of the points system: the points system for determining priorities (extra points based on children, level of development of the municipality) has been abolished.
• Up-to-date information: up-to-date information on the call for applications is available on the CALL FOR Candidates (gov.hu).

Hungarian position on the Fit for 55 dossiers

Barbara Botos, Deputy State Secretary, gave a presentation on the Hungarian position on the Fit for 55 package, which is of particular importance for EU energy policy:

• Extending the ETS to buildings and transport: Hungary does not support this. The position is that the non-ETS scheme and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) for buildings are sufficient to meet the targets.
  • This would mean an “ERA 2” in our country, as carbon credit would be regulated at the level of suppliers/traders, who would have to achieve consumption reductions at the level of their end-users. This is not the Hungarian position.
• Energy Taxation Directive (ETD): the Hungarian position does not support a drastic tax increase, especially for natural gas.
• Establishment of a Social Climate Fund (SCF): not supported by the Hungarian government. This fund is intended to support households who are under a heavy burden from the adoption of the Fit for 55 package and its consequences. Since a large part of the SCF budget would come from ETS revenues and many Member States are opposed to the ETS, the creation of the SCF is questionable from the outset. Hungary is also opposed to it because at Member State level, 50% of the EU funding from the SCF has to be supplemented from the national central budget.

Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEAS)

The Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEO) was also an important topic at the conference:

• Savings requirements: if the savings requirements of the EED, as modified along Fit for 55, are increased, the current EIF obligation will be doubled. According to the Implementing Decree 122/2015 (26 May 2015), 1 PJ (Petajoule) of new savings from the EER is planned in 2022, compared to which only 546 TJ (Terajoule) of savings obligation has been allocated. This in itself would justify an increase in the level of the obligation, otherwise the obligations cannot be met domestically.
• New EHR catalogue pages: the new EHR catalogue pages, which were open for comments until 25 February, are expected to be published by MEKH at the end of April or beginning of May.
• Secondary market and White Certificate: the MEKH and HUPX are working on the development of a register to facilitate the creation of a secondary market. Certified savings will be uploaded to the system and can then be traded. The system is planned to 2022. after 1 July will be able to get going. According to MEKH, this system fulfils the concept of the so-called White Certificate.
• Legislative intention: according to the afternoon round table, the legislator’s intention is rather to put the basic case first, i.e. that the obligated parties themselves initiate energy efficiency projects at end-users. The secondary market should come afterwards.

 

The KLENEN’22 conference provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of energy efficiency, climate change and related regulations in Hungary and the European Union. The delay in the amendment of the TNM Regulation, the positive development of residential solar tenders, the Hungarian position on the Fit for 55 package and the development of the ERA scheme are all key issues that will continue to shape the energy sector in the future. The conference highlighted the dynamic changes in the regulatory environment and the importance of energy awareness.

If you want to stay up to date with energy regulations and subsidies, or are looking for energy efficiency solutions, contact us. Our experts are ready to help you optimise your energy consumption and take advantage of the opportunities available.