The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) 2012/27/EU published in October 2012, sets out new requirements for European Member States on energy efficiency, acting on the energy chain from its production to end- use consumption. While improvement of the industry’s energy performance and increase in energy efficiency were mostly embedded in voluntary agreements or financial incentives, the EED requires large companies to undergo a first energy audit in December 2015 at the latest, to be repeated every four years. A possibility for companies to be exempted from this requirement is for them to be certified by an approved energy management system. Therefore this paper highlights the major importance of the development of a powerful and cost-effective energy management system within industries, in order to fulfil legally binding obligations, but also benefit from state aid or tax exemptions, included into national energy policies. While many techniques and tools are available for manufacturing companies to track their energy use and identify savings opportunities, there is still the possibility and need for the development of innovative tools to enhance the way energy is managed and tackle the energy efficiency gap that prevents identified energy savings from being carried out.