Policy Priorities
Why Energy & Water Data Management
Efficient management of energy and water resources is fundamental to achieving Europe’s climate neutrality goals. Buildings account for a significant portion of global energy consumption and water use. Without accurate data on these resources, optimisation becomes impossible. This is where energy and water data management play a pivotal role. By enabling precise measurement, monitoring, and allocation of resource usage, energy and water data management empowers building owners, operators, and occupants to make informed decisions. Smart data management systems benefit in multiple ways:
- Optimising resource use, by identifying inefficiencies and reducing waste.
- Enhancing transparency, by providing fair and accurate billing through submetering.
- Support policy implementation, by facilitating compliance with EU directives like the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).
- Enable digitalisation and decarbonisation, driving the transition to smarter, greener buildings equipped with future-ready technologies.
At WE Data Europe, we believe that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Our solutions are designed to equip Europe’s building stock with the tools needed to achieve smarter, more sustainable resource management for both energy and water and chart the path for 2050 climate neutral continent.
Energy Efficiency
With the implementation of the Green Deal, the EU is pushing towards its goal to become the world’s first fully decarbonised continent by 2050. But in a time of rising energy prices, geopolitical uncertainty, and a warming climate, reducing energy demand while staying competitive has never been more important. Addressing these challenges is an opportunity to rethink how we use the energy available and ensure we make the most out of it.
As buildings account for 40% of Europe’s total energy use and 34% of greenhouse gas emissions , with heating and cooling making up 70% of their energy demand , they constitute a major target for improvement. Making them more efficient and reducing their energy demand is an essential step to meet the EU climate targets.
A more energy-efficient building stock is the most logical solution to the challenges Europe faces today. By cutting waste, lowering energy bills, reducing emissions, and decreasing reliance on energy imports, energy efficiency benefits everyone, from consumers, businesses, to the environment.
Water Efficiency
Water covers 70% of our planet, yet less than 1% is available for human use. With the global population set to be nearing 10 billion by 2050 and climate change intensifying, the pressure on freshwater resources is reaching a critical point. The World Economic Forum warns that by 2030, global demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40% , putting billions at risk. Today, already four billion people face water scarcity, and global demand is expected to rise by 55% by 2050 .
Europe is not exempt: One-third of its territory faces seasonal water stress, with renewable water resources per capita having dropped by 24% in the past 50 years .
As freshwater becomes scarcer and demand is increasingly concentrated in urban areas, managing the water demand of buildings plays a crucial role. In Europe, the sector accounts for 28% of the freshwater abstracted and 13% of the net water consumption, with 70% of produced drinking water flowing directly into them . In this context, using water efficiently and preventing waste isn’t an option, it is our responsibility. Conserving and reusing water as much as possible is essential, not only to protect the environment but also to safeguard the health, well-being, and resilience of our society.
Read our response to the Call for Evidence on the European Water Resilience Strategy
