“Even if we disregard climate change, it would still be wise to stop spending as much as possible of the some €400 billion a year we spend on importing oil and gas. Instead, we should find ways to use European technologies and labor to get more efficient energy systems to decrease our fossil fuel imports,” he told delegates in a keynote opening address.

… the Commission has proposed €17 billion to go specifically towards energy efficiency projects including CHP. The effect of this, according to Hodson, is that “there is now a greater climate for regional authorities to build energy efficiency into their projects from the very beginning”.