At the end of June, the Federal Cabinet adopted a new draft of the “ Law to Accelerate the Implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive ”, which specifies the long-awaited changes to the Energy Efficiency Act.
The law must now pass through parliament and the Bundesrat (and possibly the mediation committee). Provided no significant changes are made, the following key adjustments will apply to public institutions (compared to the currently valid Energy Efficiency Act ):
- Public facilities: The term and definition (previously: “public bodies”) is changed to “public institutions”. The law refers to Article 2, point 12 of Directive (EU) 2023/1791: “Public institutions” are national, regional or local authorities and bodies that are directly financed and managed by those authorities but are not of a commercial or industrial nature.
- Public facilities – regardless of their energy consumption – must be annual final energy savings of 1,9 percent Obligated (previously: public bodies with an energy consumption of > 1 GWh). The base year is 2021 (previously: no base year).
- At locations with a Energy consumption of > 1 or > 3 GWh Management systems (ISO 14001, EMAS, ISO 50001 and ISO 50005) are to be introduced by October 11, 2027.
- For the first time, federal public institutions must report their energy consumption data for buildings, mobility, and processes to the federal energy consumption register for 2025. This includes reporting the data for the base year 2021.
- Public institutions of the Länder report to the energy consumption registers of their country or to the competent authority, which each Land must designate.
- Landlords of properties used by public institutions must provide the previous year's energy consumption data by August 31st.
If the law comes into force in this form,
- It needs to be checked whether you qualify as a public institution,
- You need to collect data on the energy consumption of your sites to determine the management system obligation.
- The annual final energy savings of 1,9% must be implemented in any case.
Join our free webinar on July 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM to learn more about the requirements. We'll show you how practical implementation can look and how it has proven successful.
We provide information and support regarding the (amended) Energy Efficiency Act.
We will keep you updated on this page regarding the development of the final requirements of the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG). If you would like to start implementing ISO 50005 directly, we would be happy to support you – either through individual consultations or as a participant in our practical 50005 convoy (project start in summer 2026).
Do you have any questions? Feel free to arrange a free and non-binding consultation appointment directly , in which we will examine with you how you are affected and which type of implementation is best suited for you.
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Your contact person at Arqum: Theresa Steyrer
Version of 30.06.2026
The content on this page reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. Please note that the legal situation may change in the future.