As part of the Wednesday session of the EU Commission’s European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026, organised by the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition (EEEFIN), our Secretary General Valérie Plainemaison spoke on the panel discussion “Scaling up energy efficiency investments through three-party cooperation” on 10 June.
The broader discussion explored the conditions needed to unlock greater private investment in energy efficiency, with Valérie representing the perspective of Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
During her speech, Valérie highlighted one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: transforming energy efficiency opportunities into viable, bankable investment projects. As she delineated, because energy efficiency generates avoided costs rather than direct revenue streams, future savings can often be more difficult for financial institutions to assess than traditional investments.
In order to overcome this barrier, Valérie emphasised the importance of reducing project complexity, improving access to technical assistance, strengthening public support mechanisms, and providing stable long-term market signals. She concluded that dedicated expertise, tailored financial products and innovative business models will all be essential to help SMEs convert energy savings opportunities into investable projects.
The discussion provided a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with policymakers, financial institutions and industry representatives on the measures needed to unlock greater investment in energy efficient solutions to accelerate Europe’s clean energy transition.