EUFORES WORKSHOP "Implementation of the energy efficiency policies: market feedback", 28 November 2012, Brussels

At this workshop, organised by EUFORES in the European Parliament, Christiane Egger (O.Ö.Energiesparverband) and Ralf Schüle (Wuppertal Institute) presented the results of the survey on implementation of national energy efficiency policies in the EU27 and the screening of National Energy Efficiency Plans (NEEAPs) to the members of the Coalition for Energy Savings. 

First, Ralf Schüle focused on the analysis of the NEEAPs of 2011 and claimed that the NEEAPs have improved in their quality however it is difficult to asses the effectiveness of drafted policy packages as it is the implementation that counts. The analysis has shown that sectoral policy packages (e.g. appliances, buildings) in some Member States are to a large extent based on EU legislation and many Member States have not yet adopted a long term energy efficiency strategy. Transport is the weakest sector of all. Please see the presentation of Ralf Schüle here for more information.

Christiane Egger went a step further and presented the survey which was carried out in the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project. More than 700 experts from all Member States were consulted on the progress in implementation of energy efficiency policies in their own country since 2007. The majority of the experts considered transport as the sector with the biggest gaps. On the other hand, they saw energy audits as the most effective instrument, followed by certification schemes and energy efficiency funds. The survey has shown that some countries clearly prefer a certain instrument (e.g. voluntary agreements, smart metering) while other countries do not like them at all. Therefore a variety of instruments is essential. According to the survey, there is an enormous disparity among Member States in levels of ambition of energy efficiency policies. Energy efficiency is often seen as a burden on public finances even though it is a way to save money, create more jobs and generate tax income. European legislation is very helpful in initiating national policies and thus plays a crucial role. Please see the presentation of Christiane Egger here for more information.

The survey report is now available. You can download the survey report and its annex here.

Energy Cities´Annual Rendezvous, 9-11 May 2012, Guimares, Portugal

Mind-boggling ideas for a new energy culture

Europe is undergoing a major economic and socio-political crisis. What if, instead of just being shocked and passive, we were to come up with new ambitions and new ways of thinking - above all, in the energy field? The more we base our activities on local assets, the more cities and regions will benefit in terms of job creation, financial savings, a stronger autonomy, citizen empowerment and a higher quality of life for all.

One month before the RIO+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Energy Cities´Annual Rendezvous invited Mayors to demonstrate their political commitment in Guimares. As an outcome of the Rendezvous, 30 Mayors from 30 different countries sent out a strong signal: their vision synthesized in a set of 30 strategies for the energy transition of cities. These 30 mind-boggling ideas on how to consume and produce energy locally in an efficient way will contribute to the Rio+20 deliberations and will also provide a concrete answer to the crisis.

Energy Cities´conference also tried to find answers to the following questions: Which cultural roots determine how and why energy is used and managed in a particular way? What can we learn from other countries, regions, cities? The two-day event also included a two-hour session organised within the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project discussing good practices from local authorities. The 2012 Annual Rendezvous demonstrated how local authorities can steer a new energy culture and make territories grow from the inside.

For more information please click here.

8th South-East European Congress and Exhibition on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources, 28-30 March 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria

EUFORES was invited to present its project Energy Efficiency Watch in South-East Europe. Jan Geiss, EUFORES Secretary General and project coordinator, presented the main project ideas such as collecting market feedback on implementation of national energy efficiency policies and gathering good practices. He also explained that more good policies are needed so that the 20% energy savings target is met. Daniel Becker from Ecofys (project partner) elaborated on how best practice policies can be triggered. As there is no one-size-fits-all policy, he presented common features of good practice policies. Usually, policies work if they combine following policy instruments: mandatory measures, economic incentives and information/awareness raising campaigns.

The event´s aim was to encourage the know-how transfer and stimulate the investments in green energy sector in the South-East European market. It was a great opportunity to establish new partnerships on a global scale between governmental and local policy makers, municipality experts, investors, executives and representatives of branch associations. 

For more information please see the presentations of Jan Geiss and Daniel Becker. Please click here for more information on the Congress.

Energy-Efficiency-Watch Conference, World Sustainable Energy Days, 1 March 2012, Wels, Austria

Another Energy-Efficiency-Watch conference was held at the annual "World Sustainable Energy Days" conference organised by the O.Ö. Energiesparverband, the energy agency of Upper Austria. The EEW conference took place on 1 March 2012 and looked at energy efficiency from regional, national and European perspective. It focused on the progress of the implementation of energy efficiency policies which lies in the centre of the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project. Representatives of the European Parliament, European Commission, national and regional administrations as well as experts presented their insights into national and regional energy efficiency polices, current and upcoming facilitating mechanisms and the new proposal for Energy Efficiency Directive. The conference also introduced the preliminary results of the implementation of energy efficiency policies in the EU Member States. If you are interested to learn more about this event, please read the event report here. For programme please click here. 

eceee Summer Study, 6-11 June 2011, Presqu´ile de Giens, France

A special session on Energy Efficiency Watch took place at the eceee´s 10th Summer Study on 10 June 2011. Taking "Energy Efficiency First" as a motto of the 10th Summer Study, policy makers, researchers, activists and professionals participated in paper presentations and discussions on how sustainable savings can be achieved. The EEW2 session was arranged in an interactive format with the objective to gather solutions to several weak points in following topics: energy sector, industry and service sector, transport sector, residential and public sector. After short presentations by Jan Geiss, MEP Fiona Hall and Rob Kool participants were asked to work in sub groups. They were asked to identify weaknesses in several sectors and suggest sollutions. The results gathered will be processed in a separate report. Please find more information here. 

Energy Cities Annual Rendezvous, 6 - 8 April 2011, Zagreb, Croatia

Multilevel governance and support of national governments for local authorities was the topic of a panel discussion at the Annual Rendezvous organized by Energy Cities in Zagreb on 8 April 2011. The panel discussion, a part of the Energy Efficiency Watch project, started with a presentation of Jason Anderson from WWF. Then, Gérard Magnin (Executive Director, Energy Cities), Jan Geiss (Secretary General, EUFORES), Christine Lins (Secretary General, European Renewable Energy Council), Sabine Froning (Managing Director, Euroheat and Power) and Valérie Plainemaision (General Secretary, European Federation of Intelligent Energy Efficiency Services) among others exchanged their views in the panel discussion. Please find the programme here. 

Building Renovation, World Sustainable Energy Days, 3-4 March 2011, Wels, Austria

The O.O. Energiesparverband organised a conference Building Renovation on 3-4 March 2011 in Austrian Wels. The conference was part of the international annual conference World Sustainable Energy Days (2-4 March 2011) which is the largest annual conference in this field in Europe. At the conference, innovative examples of efficient, economic and sustainable buildings were presented and approaches towards zero energy renovation were outlined. It also discussed cost-optimal renovation levels and minimum performance requirements. 

Please find the programme of the conference here. To learn more about the World Sustainable Energy Days 2011 and download presentations please click here.