q
Energie-Cités
I N F O N° 35
T W I C E - Y E A R L Y
I N F O R M A T I O N
B U L L E T I N
F O R
A
L O C A L
S U S T A I N A B L E
E N E R G Y
November 2008
P O L I C Y
I N
E U R O P E
www.energie-cites.eu
Energy efficiency:
What if we finally turn our
intentions into actions?
3x20%:
Play the Game
p. 3 & 9
Energy challenges in
New Member States
Fuel poverty
ignored
p. 7
p. 4-5
q DOSSIER
When energy meters turn backwards...
Everything started with a typo, a
poorly mislaid “n” picked up by
Amory Lovins, a renowned experimental physicist, co-author of
“Factor 4” and fervent advocate of
sustainable energy solutions. This
typo in a report had accidentally
transformed the word “megawatts”
into “negawatts”. Since the 1980s,
negawatt has become a synonym
for Lovins’ and many others’ efforts
to promote a better life with less
energy. It stands for the watt of
electricity that is not created due
to energy efficiency and energy
conservation.
How long will it take before the first
negawatt station is built in Europe?
“I believe that energy efficiency is
the most important energy policy of
all”, said Energy Commissioner
Andris Piebalgs last July during an
informal Energy Council in Paris. So
why has the EU 2020 objective of
increasing energy efficiency by
20% been brushed silently under
the carpet by the majority of
Member States until now?
‘‘
I believe
that energy
efficiency is
the most important
energy policy
of all.
,,
Serious political willingness to
reduce the energy demand is still
not a common feature in many
countries – poor implementation of
EU directives is but one indication
of it. Things would be different if
the savings potential was more
visible and if the knowledge
concerning cost-effectiveness,
returns and risks of investments in
energy end-use efficiency was
greater.
Local authorities, in particular, have
to become more aware of their responsibility and their chances in the
field of energy efficiency. In
English, energy-efficient literally
means “productive without waste”.
Wasted energy has become a
chronic disease that requires care
management.
So, the main question for society
as a whole should not be where to
get more energy, but how to revise
energy needs and uses. Numerous
energy-requiring services can be
provided while reducing energy
needs: comfortable housing in
energy-efficient buildings, easy
and safe transportation with a good
public transport infrastructure and
well-planned cities, social and
cultural activities offered close to
home... Energy management has to
become everybody’s task to finally
make energy meters turn backwards!
q For further information
Lovins’ keynote speech in 1989:
http://www.ccnr.org/amory.html
French association “Negawatt”:
www.negawatt.org
Poor European procrastinators!
Let’s take the financial crisis as a unique opportunity
Most of us know about the fight with our weaker self: Urgent, but uncomfortable tasks are all too often pushed down to the bottom of a “To do” list. We
choose the easy option by saying “Let’s do it later”. The task itself, though,
remains. Procrastination is the official term for this type of behaviour. And procrastination is what you read between the lines of many of the national energy
efficiency action plans (NEEAP) which were requested from each Member
State by the EU Energy Services directive: Urgent tasks are being put off for
another time.
Instead of detailed, integrated and forward-looking measures, the majority of
Member States have presented weak and business-as-usual promises. Where
are the countries which have made an effort to anchor energy efficiency in territorial planning? Where are the attempts to design cross-sector policy measures aiming at energy savings? And above all, where are the European Heads of
States when energy efficiency issues are to be discussed and real actions to be
implemented? The recent financial turmoil should help to set Europe in motion.
It is an opportunity to green the economy, especially if we consider that the
financial crisis and the energy crisis have the same origin: The failure of the
free market to set high prices which reflect the true medium and long-term risks
taken by financial and energy actors.
p.2
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
So, listen: Procrastination can be cured... act now!
q For further information
Find all NEEAPs on the website of the European Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/demand/legislation/end_use_en.htm
Energy efficiency: a slowgoing three-step dance?
10 key measures on how
the national level can
encourage local authorities to
optimise energy consumption
1. Consider explicitly the role of
local authorities as being crucial to achieve the targets –
and improve quality of life
2. Design energy efficiency policies and measures together
with local authorities
3. Adapt national legislation to
a) eliminate obstacles to
energy efficiency, in land
use planning requirements,
for instance, b) stimulate
initiatives
4. Make mandatory territorial
sustainable energy and climate action plans with concrete and ambitious targets in
a cross-sector manner
5. Send price signals and implement tariffs encouraging
Fortunately, there are an increasing
number of exceptions to this threestep dance in three-four time,
essentially in our towns and cities
and also in some countries. A few
examples of them are given in this
issue of Energie-Cités Info.
q For further information
Gérard Magnin I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/ gerard
In a joint letter addressed to the
European Energy Commissioner,
eight professional associations
representing cogeneration, insulation, construction, lighting, energy
efficiency, intelligent energy service and household appliance companies, call for better recognition
of energy efficiency technologies
in the European Strategic Energy
Technology Plan (“SET- Plan”). This
SET-Plan is supposed to facilitate
the launch of industrial initiatives
but it says very little about energy
efficiency... Energie-Cités is supporting this approach.
q For further information
www.ceced.eu/ICECED/easnet.dll/GetDoc?APPL=
1&DAT_IM=20B8D8
I n°35 I November 2008
Do the test yourself at European
level, in your country, municipality
or at home! Leave a meeting on
energy efficiency and join a discussion on town planning issues or
transport infrastructure and you
The “3x20” are far from being part
of all our policies. This will be the
challenge of the Covenant of
Mayors at local level. Member
States must provide evidence that
their collective commitment to the
“3x20” in March 2007 was not just
a media-staged operation.
However, most of their National
Energy Efficiency Plans are quite
poor. And at European level, we
will be paying a great deal of attention to the “energy package”
focussing on energy efficiency that
is to be presented in November.
European energy
efficiency associations
are joining forces
uEnergie-Cités INFO
STEP 1: Energy efficiency is given
top priority...
STEP 2: We realise that this
involves large numbers of
decision-makers of greater or
lesser importance and that this will
prove difficult...
STEP 3: We continue (almost) as
before!
will have the feeling of being in a
totally different world!
p.3
There is a consensus
that energy efficiency is
the cornerstone of any
sustainable energy
policy. But there is often
a gap between
intentions and reality.
We can even talk about
a slow-going three-step
dance as regards energy
efficiency.
energy efficiency (provide
financial and fiscal incentives)
6. Provide financial and methodological support to local
authorities having achieved
their territorial action plan
7. Take advantage of existing
funding opportunities (national, Structural Funds etc.) to
orient the investments more
energy efficiently
8. Use innovative and successful local initiatives to evolve
legislation
9. Encourage networking and
replication of successful
practices
10. Re-draft the national energy
action plans accordingly.
q DOSSIER
The local energy challenges
in New Member States
p.4
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
Mrs. Drapalova, the EU has set
three main objectives for 2020,
one of which is to increase
energy efficiency by 20%.
Is this target considered to be an
opportunity or an obstacle to the
competitiveness of New Member
States?
Over the last ten years, energy prices have grown so remarkably that
energy savings and energy efficiency have become much more
economic than environmental
issues for citizens. Since 2004, the
Czech Republic has had an Energy
Concept which aims to maximise
energy efficiency and which is
backed up by a set of legislative
and tax instruments. The national
support programmes for saving
measures are the most important
for municipalities, and we now
also have European Funds.
The housing sector is considered
to be very important within the
energy policy. Huge savings should
come from residential buildings.
Energy efficiency standards for
buildings have been set several
times, but these only apply to new
or renovated buildings. Between
1950 and 1990, over 60,000 buildings were built in the Czech
Republic with prefabricated
concrete panel technology. This
represents 1.2 million flats, one
third of the Czech housing stock.
A substantial share of the
country’s existing housing stock is
in a rundown condition, which is
why the government has introduced a special support programme
to help refurbish prefabricated
panel buildings.
We are all aware that these EU
objectives cannot be achieved
without practical action at the
municipal level. From your
experience, what challenges are
local authorities currently facing
to make energy efficiency a
political priority?
Municipalities, and large cities in
particular, play an important role
in achieving energy policy goals.
They are not only owners of a
significant part of the housing
stock - they also establish and
operate municipal companies
which provide public services
(heat supplies, communal waste
management, public transport,
street lighting, etc.), and run the
housekeeping in public buildings
and school facilities. Energy costs
are thus an important part of
obviously limited
public spending.
Prices of municipal services for
citizens are also remarkably
influenced by energy prices and
cities need to tackle the issue of
social sustainability of these service charges. Hence, municipalities
have become increasingly aware of
the importance of efficient energy
management.
Municipalities
‘‘
have become
increasingly
aware of the
importance of
efficient energy
management.
,,
There is a range of actions and
tools for optimising energy use:
from awareness-raising through
private-public-partnerships to
financial incentives. What
precisely is the city of Brno doing
in this respect?
Brno, a city of nearly 370,000
inhabitants, approved its Energy
Concept in 2006 but its energy
saving objectives remain far from
being ambitious enough. If any
saving measures are implemented,
they are mainly motivated by the
©Brno - Nový Lískovec
EU energy goals are
common to all Member
States, but the starting
points are completely
different. Post-communist
countries, in particular,
have to build upon a past
in which energy
efficiency was an ignored
parameter. The Czech
Republic is one of those
countries. In an interview
with Energie-Cités INFO,
Mrs. Jana Drapalova,
Mayor of the City District
of Brno-Nový Lískovec
(12,000 inhabitants) since
2002 and Member of the
Brno City Council,
provides an insight into
the local energy
challenges in New
Member States.
©Brno - Nový Lískovec
Energy efficiency plays an increasing role
in the Czech municipality of Brno
Annual energy consumption in refurbished buildings (in kWh/m2)
160
140
120
100
80
60
kWh/m2
40
20
0
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Thanks to the large series of energy efficiency measures carried out in six municipal
residential building units of Brno - Nový Lískovec, their annual energy consumption could be
reduced by at least 50%.
in the housing
sector far
outreach the
figure of 20%
estimated in the
State Energy
Concept.
,,
Do you have any advice to give
to the EU decision-makers?
Most of the heat generated in the
Czech Republic still comes from
fossil fuel (gas and coal), which is
insufficiently insulated as they are
today – at the minimum possible
level required by relevant legislation. The problem is that it will be
another 20 years before any such
badly repaired buildings will be
given another chance.
q For further information
www.nliskovec.brno.cz
Energy efficiency
and Structural Funds
belong together!
“We have identified major improvement potential in building heating and insulation. We need a far-reaching revision of the Directive
on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. It would be ironical if, as far as
energy efficiency is concerned, this were the only sector excluded
by European regulations as regards the use of structural funds.
Danuta Hübner (Commissioner for Regional Policy) is ready to look
at our margins for manoeuvre in this field.”
(Excerpt from the conclusions of the Presidency of the informal
Council of Ministers for Energy – 5th July 2008)
I n°35 I November 2008
Potential
‘‘
energy savings
why possible savings have a direct
bearing on CO2 emissions. It is,
therefore, a pity that the EU has
not allocated subsidies for the
thermal insulation of residential
buildings. It could set the building
low energy consumption standard
as a requirement for the use of
such subsidies. This would prevent
many panel buildings being as
uEnergie-Cités INFO
water decreased by 30%. Our
experience is now put to good use
by other city districts and panel
house owners. This leads to my
conviction that potential energy
savings in the housing sector far
outreach the figure of 20% estimated in the State Energy
Concept.
p.5
ever-growing energy prices and by
the opportunity to obtain grants.
Renovation of the housing stock
in Brno has been in progress for
over 10 years now. It has been
managed by individual City
Districts since 1998. Each district
is an autonomous administrative
entity. The city provides them with
financial means originating from a
fund raised by means of revenues
from the privatisation of flats. City
Districts also use commercial
loans, as they are able to apply for
a State subsidy for part of the
interest. Currently about 45% of
the municipal housing stock have
been partly or fully renovated,
which means 8,000 apartments.
In co-operation with NGOs, the
university and the tenants, BrnoNový Lískovec designed the renovation of panel houses according
to a low energy consumption standard in 2000. It was not only
about thermal insulation, but it
also included comprehensive ventilation (something completely
unprecedented at that time). We
refurbished 10 buildings with 386
flats between 2001 and 2006.
Heat consumption went down by
65%, and the costs of heating hot
©Brno - Nový Lískovec
©Brno - Nový Lískovec
■ Oblà 14 (2003) ■ Oblà 2 (2001) ■ Kaminky 6 (2001)
■ Kaminky 25-29 (2003) ■ Kaminky 31-35 (2003) ■ Oblà 3 (2003)
q DOSSIER
A green elephant in London
How the borough of Southwark
combines efficiency and quality of life!
London, this multicultural and buzzing city, is currently adding a sustainability layer to its international
profile. The famous eco-neighbourhood BedZED, situated in the borough of Sutton, is but one of several
initiatives striving for a “human” city.
© www.elephantandcastle.org.uk / Heygate Boulevard
Less known, but just as impressive,
is the £1.5 billion Elephant and
Castle regeneration programme in
Southwark, a borough situated in
the South-East of Central London
and member of Energie-Cités since
1999. Launched in 2004, it is one of
the largest schemes of its kind to
be undertaken in Europe, covering
a total of 68.8 hectares. The tenyear plan is remarkable as it looks
at the neighbourhood as a whole,
giving priority to density, proximity,
mixed-tenure and mixed-use. Bob
Fiddik, Energy Strategy Manager of
Southwark Council, explains that
the main idea is to revitalize the
area. The Council aims not only to
renew the building stock but also
to improve the lives of residents
through access to better housing,
transport, health services, education, training and employment.
‘‘
p.6
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
,,
“The scheme has a zero carbon
growth objective”, says Tony
Moseley, Assistant Director of
Infrastructure and Sustainability for
the Elephant and Castle
Development Project, “while, at the
same time, almost tripling the number of homes and businesses in the
area.” With its focus on renewable
energies including wind and solar
power, it will set a new benchmark
for green development of the
highest eco-standards.
The entirely private sector funded
regeneration project has been developed as part of the local Spatial
Development Strategy, the “London
Plan”. As it has been selected to
become one of the London Mayor’s
Energy Action Areas, it is fully in line
with the plan’s three-step logic:
1) Be lean: use less!
2) Be clean: supply energy efficiently!
3) Be green: Use renewable energy!
Different renewable technologies are
currently being tested. Over 5,100
new homes, 60,000 sq. m of new
shops, five new open spaces, land-
mark buildings, a tram route and a
central market square are foreseen.
A tower containing 400 private units
is currently under construction.
Southwark’s “green elephant” will
start grazing in 2014 when the regeneration is completed. Maybe one
can even expect a whole herd of
lean, clean and green elephants
throughout the city with London officially joining the Covenant of
Mayors in 2009? Fingers crossed!
q For further information
www.elephantandcastle.org.uk
www.southwark.gov.uk
Southwark Council is leading the Elephant and Castle
programme so that by 2014, local people can benefit
from tree lined streets, high quality open spaces and a
largely traffic free environment.
© www.elephantandcastle.org.uk / Newington
The ten-year
plan is remarkable
as it looks at the
neighbourhood as a
whole, giving priority
to density, proximity,
mixed-tenure and
mixed-use.
Eating or heating?
Fuel Poverty, a known,
but neglected phenomenon
© Fotolia / Nolte Lourens
A short electricity black-out is not a drama. But what if light and heat become a daily battle?
What if you have to choose between eating or heating?
,,
Good co-ordination between governments, local authorities, energy firms
and the people concerned is crucial
if the situation of vulnerable energy
consumers is to be improved. Public
measures are diverse. One option is
to introduce social tariffs for lowincome households by means of
subsidies or to grant tax relief to
commuters. The European Charter
on the Rights of Energy Consumers
currently being discussed between
the European Commission and its
major stakeholders even foresees a
free minimum level of energy services (power, heating and lighting) to
prevent energy poverty. Social aid
budgets, though, should move from
curative to preventive if long-term
remedies are to be found.
Hence energy efficiency measures,
e.g. in households, must be developed as is the case in Frankfurt am
Household energy costs according to place of residence
as a percentage of net income - France, 2006
12
10
4,5
3,8
8
0,4
6
4
2
3,5
0,2
3,3
1,9
0,1
1,1
0,9
0,7
0,1
1,7
0,6
3,2
3,5
3,6
3,3
rural
small
cities
2,8
0,9
2,0
0,0 0,3
0,3
2,5
0
%
middlesized cities
large
cities
Paris metropol. area
■ Electricity ■ Gas ■ Liquid fuels
■ Solid fuels ■ Petrol & lubricants
Strong inequalities
exist between the
energy expenditures of
households according
to their residential area.
A Parisian, for example,
who disposes of a very
dense public transport
network and who lives
in an apartment, has an
energy bill inferior to
44% to that of someone
living in a rural municipality.
As fuel poverty can kill and already
does, knowing and tackling this
issue is now crucial and urgent!
q Pour en savoir plus
Energie-Cités’ report “Action on Fuel Poverty in the
Community and Social Housing”:
www.energie-cites.eu/IMG/pdf/fuel_poverty_2007_
en.pdf
The initiative of Utrecht “Energy Profit - Action
against Fuel Poverty” on the Energie-Cités
website, rubric “Case studies”
Eco ‘n Home Project : www.econhome.eu
I n°35 I November 2008
New financial
constraints are arising
with people depending on
their car to go to work, to
shop or to enjoy cultural
activities.
uEnergie-Cités INFO
In reality, though, the definition
should not be limited to energy worries at home. New financial
constraints are arising with people
depending on their car to go to work,
to shop or to enjoy cultural activities.
The automobile is the main means of
transport for 51% of Europeans,
(Eurobarometer 2007). Therefore,
rocketing fuel prices transform
mobility into a luxury for those who
do not live close to their work and
urban sprawl becomes an epidemic.
‘‘
Main, Germany (see “Cariteam” article page 11). A similar service
addressing the travel dimension is
also currently being delivered within
the EU supported project “Eco n’Home”, a pioneering initiative to monitor and reduce the energy consumption of over 1,000 sample households
across Europe... to be replicated on
a large scale.
p.7
According to the most commonly
accepted definition, developed over
thirty years ago in the UK, people
who are fuel poor spend more than
10% of their income on keeping
themselves warm. Estimations for
single countries exist. In the UK, for
example, more than 4 million people
are concerned. The figure amounts
to at least 800,000 in Germany. In
New Member States, the proportion
of fuel poor is much higher as people
pay European tariffs with their low
local incomes.
In general, the share of energy
expenditures in the budget of people
living in large cities is less than one
third that of people living in rural
areas (see graph).
© ADEME – INSEE 2006
Despite the basic right to energy,
there are a growing number of
Europeans that do not have full
access to modern and affordable
energy services. However, it is still
rare for the phenomenon of “fuel
poverty” to be mentioned in current
debates.
q ENERGIE-CITES IN ACTION
©Bristol City Council
More than 300 people used
our study tour service for stocking up
on new ideas in 2008!
Communicating
your buildings’ energy rating
®
with Display
it’s a piece of cake
Until now, CYBER made you think of something unreal, something
virtual? The new round of the Display Campaign has been running
under the CYBER Display umbrella since September – with new
services for local authorities! And this is for real!
CYBER stands for Communicating Your Buildings Energy Rating and it
will gather even more European local authorities committed to reducing the energy consumption of their buildings, around Display.
Co-ordinated by Energie-Cités, the Campaign will assist participating
municipalities to start their own communication campaigns on energy
use and invest in a future with better performing public buildings and,
consequently, less wastage of public funds.
Many local energy awareness campaigns are already ongoing. Their
visibility and quality will be strengthened with Display. The commercial
sector and its office buildings will also be part of the project.
p.8
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
Cutting edge communication activities will be promoted via the
Towards Class A Award. It awards prizes to the best local communication campaigns in the field of public building energy labelling. It pays
tribute to innovative ideas and committed local actors. This time, the
competition is open to all municipalities, regardless of whether they
are members of the Display® Campaign or not. The deadline is 6th
March 2009.
Download the application documents from the “TCA Awards” section
on: www.display-campaign.org
The Energie-Cités study tours were a
big hit once again this year. Sutton
(GB), Southwark (GB), Stuttgart (DE),
Freiburg (DE) and Grenoble (FR)…
are just a few examples of the towns
and cities that warmly welcomed
delegations of elected representatives and staff from other local authorities looking for inspiration and
novelties, and eager to exchange
ideas and practices.
We will strive to continue this service
within the Energie-Cités network,
making sure that our members have
priority in accessing these unique
opportunities to meet and exchange
with people in the field.
q For more information
Blandine Pidoux I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/blandine
MODEL is well under way!
The European MODEL project
is well under way with 42 pilot
towns and cities, representing
2.2 million East European citizens, committed to taking up
the challenge of setting an
example as energy efficiency
models.
All these towns and cities have
set up a unit aimed at rationalising energy use and promoting
environmentally-responsible
behaviour amongst their staff and population, and regularly benefit from the
methodological support of national MODEL partners.
q For further information
Some cities have already organised their first local intelligent energy days for
the general public. Agendas include demonstrations of energy-efficient equipment, practical recommendations on how to reduce energy use, exhibitions
on renewable energy and promotion of what people can do on a daily basis to
save energy... with further actions still in the pipeline!
And on 9th February 2009 the first most interesting activities will be highlighted
at an award ceremony that will be organised in Brussels during the European
Sustainable Energy Week.
Peter Schilken I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/peter
q For further information
www.energymodel.eu
Christophe Fréring I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/christophe
A new energy paradigm?
This way, please!
“3x20 % - Play the game!”
Joint Energie-Cités and Climate Alliance Annual
Rendezvous I 22nd-24th April 2009, Brussels
What will you need to win the game?
Team play: ✪✪✪✪ Action: ✪✪✪✪
Speed: ✪✪✪ Luck : ✪
No. of players: Several hundreds of European
cities
Once again, as in previous years, the
network has grown in 2008. Energie-Cités
will be very happy to rely on the experiences of its new members for local, national
and European activities:
Agueda (PT), ALEAB33 (FR), Antibes Juanles-pins (FR), Artois (FR), Aveiro (PT),
Barreiro (PT), Bucharest (RO), Cascais (PT),
Conseil Général de Maine et Loire (FR),
Ivanic-Grad (CS), Klimaatverbond (NL),
Pordenone (IT), Presov (SK), Provincia di
Caserta (IT), Rijeka (HR), Syndicat Agglo de
Sénart (FR), and the Union of the Baltic
Cities.
q For further information
Jean-Pierre Vallar I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/jean-pierre
© Diane Morel - Alice Hameau
Nathalie Moroge I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/nathalie
The European Mobility Week
from A as in Agueda to Z as in Zoetermeer!
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Eibhlin Byrne, signed the European
Mobility Week Charter on September 10th, 2008.
The 7th edition of the “European Mobility Week”,
held from 16th to 22nd September 2008, was a big
success. 2012 cities participated in this initiative,
co-organised by Energie-Cités. It aims to encourage urban transport policies in European cities,
especially by promoting alternative means of
transport to the private car. The central theme of
this year’s edition was "Clean air for all".
61 members of Energie-Cités took part in this
2008 edition:
Agueda, Almada, Angers, Aveiro, Barcelona,
Barreiro, Besançon, Bistrita, Brasov, Brest
Métropole Océane - Communauté urbaine,
Bucuresti, Cascais, Chalon-sur-Saône, ClermontFerrand, Constanta, Cork City Council, Dole,
Dublin, Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg im Breisgau,
Gijón, Helsinki, Ivanic-Grad, Kaunas, Kotka,
Lausanne, Leicester, Les Mureaux, Lille, London
Borough of Southwark, Malmö, Marseille, Metz,
Montpellier, Mulhouse, München, Nantes
Métropole, Napoli, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Nyíregyháza, Oeiras, Padova, Pamplona, Paris,
Pordenone, Prešov, Région de BruxellesCapitale, Rennes Métropole, Rijeka, SaintQuentin-en-Yvelines, Salerno, Sevilla, Sintra,
Stuttgart, Tata, Thessaloniki, Udine, Utrecht,
Växjö, Vila Nova de Gaia, Zaragoza and
Zoetermeer.
q For further information
www.mobilityweek.eu
Olivier Lagarde I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/olivier
I n°35 I November 2008
Welcome to the 17
new members of
Energie-Cités!
q For further information
uEnergie-Cités INFO
www.imagineyourenergyfuture.eu/exhibition
Miriam Eisermann I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/miriam
Team up with other players in Brussels from 22nd
– 24th April 2009!
To register, please go to: www.energie-cites.eu,
rubric “Conferences”
p.9
q For further information
©City of Dublin
The explosion in energy prices and the financial
crisis have blown away any remaining doubts: our
mode of operation is not sustainable. We need a
complete change of direction! The IMAGINE exhibition shows the way regarding energy management. It is now available in 9 languages: Bulgarian,
Czech, English, French, German, Hebrew,
Hungarian, Polish and Russian! Seize this opportunity of being inspired by the 16 examples of local
sustainable energy policies and bring the exhibition to your town!
The “3x20”, the EU’s climate and energy objectives
for the year 2020, are the drivers for the Covenant
of Mayors, the European Commission initiative
strongly supported by Energie-Cités and Climate
Alliance.
Take part in the game and learn its rules at the
Annual Rendezvous in 2009, co-organised with
Brussels-Capital Region. Meet other committed
players in a mixture of speeches, round tables,
exhibitions and one-to-one meetings to discuss
the following:
• What vision do we share? What key priorities
should guide us towards a sustainable energy
future?
• What is the Covenant of Mayors and why is it
important for local actors to be involved?
• What practical tools and partnerships will help
local authorities to carry out sustainable energy
actions?
q EUROPEAN UNION
What will be achieved between the
UN Climate Change Conference in
Poznan in December 2008 and the
one in Copenhagen a year later? In
the face of climate change, the
international community urgently
has to find common ground for a
post-Kyoto climate regime.
Suggestions from local authorities
and city networks are an absolute
necessity to ensure the practical
implementation of measures.
Energie-Cités, together with other
European networks such as
Eurocities, Climate Alliance and
CEMR, is involved in the process in
close relation with ICLEI, the United
Cities and Local Governments
(UCLG), Metropolis, the C40 Climate
Leadership Group, the World
Mayors Council on Climate Change.
Energie-Cités is encouraging local
authorities to participate in the
Poznan and Copenhagen Local
Government Climate Sessions relevant milestones on the Local
Government Climate Roadmap.
The victory of Barack Obama will
give hope to the 700 American
cities volunteering for Kyoto. With
the ”Covenant of Mayors” it is now
up to us to do the same in Europe!
Many European municipal leaders,
already on the road, will travel
together from Poznan to Copenhagen...
with Energie-Cités’ support.
q For further information
www.energie-cites.eu/Poznan-ClimateConference-Energie,1390
Kristina Dely I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/kristina
A second chance for the European
Buildings Performance Directive?
© Fotolia / Strike Designs
On the road
from Poznan
to Copenhagen
We may wonder what the reasons
for “recasting” the EPBD, less than
six years after its publication and
two years after the transposition
deadline, are. The answer must be
in the seriously delayed and difficult implementation by Member
States that could hamper the
achievement of European energy
and climate goals set for 2020.
Energie-Cités published its opinion
on the recasting of the EPBD in
June. The following main points
were highlighted:
1. A successful Directive should
be understandable
2. The Directive should be linked
to the concerns of society (e.g.
fuel poverty)
3. Legislation alone cannot solve
all the problems
4. Suggestions “from the field”
Through the Display® Campaign –
supported by the European
Commission from the very beginning - Energie-Cités has modestly
shown how it is possible not only to
implement the Directive, but to
make it enjoyable, open to society,
linked to all sectors and education,
helpful for national transpositions,
etc. Could we imagine such a process on an EU-wide scale thanks
to a “desirable” re-cast Directive?
q For further information
www.energie-cites.eu/IMG/pdf/opinion_
recasting_epbd_2008_final.pdf
Ian Turner I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/ian
Mayors, get committed
to the Covenant!
Dear Colleagues,
You might know that Energie-Cités wholeheartedly supports the
Covenant of Mayors and has played a major role in bringing it to the
fore. We want to encourage Europe’s Mayors to commit to achieving EU climate and energy objectives, the so-called “3x20”, on a
voluntary basis, and thus, provide a better quality of life for their citizens. Creating a “bottom-up movement of European Local authorities” will also be a major asset for supporting EU negotiators in the
post-Kyoto period.
So I strongly invite you to become part of it by asking your City
Council for authorisation to sign the Covenant on their behalf. An
event uniting all first signatory Mayors is planned in Brussels on 10th
February 2009, during the EU Sustainable Energy Week.
p.10
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
You can find all the information you require on the website:
www.energie-cites.eu/-Covenant-of-mayorsAs Mayor of Heidelberg, I have already made the decision to commit my city to the initiative. What about you?
Eckart WÜRZNER
Mayor of Heidelberg and President of Energie-Cités
q For further information
Kristina Dely I Energie-Cités
www.energie-cites.eu/kristina
q LOCAL INITIATIVES
Almada makes
energy projects
everybody’s projects
lia
to
Fo
©
Realising utopia n°2*:
Local is beautiful!
In 2050, energy will be predominantly supplied by
renewable sources (solar, wood, geothermal or
wind energy) or from waste (solid waste or waste
heat from the cogeneration process).
In the future “Factor 4” town, energy production
has a direct impact on a number of economic activities with imported energy being replaced by
local jobs.
You too are invited to IMAGINE and realise your municipal utopia. Continue the
debate and share your ideas on the issue
on the IMAGINE blog:
www.imagineyourenergyfuture.eu/blog
* You can find utopia no.1 in the previous edition of Energie-Cités INFO.
A caring team to switch off
fuel poverty in Frankfurt
The Portuguese city
of Almada has a
strong tradition of
public participation
in the development
of strategic municipal projects, particularly in the fields of transport and mobility, energy and environment. These projects are presented and discussed in public forums where citizens’ associations and any other stakeholders
can express their opinion and contribute their
ideas. Examples of on-going public participation
forums are the Local Energy Forum, the Light
Rail Forum, the Almada Cycling Plan Forum and
the Urban Mobility Plan Forum. The Local Energy
Agency of Almada, AGENEAL, is putting special
emphasis on projects aimed at improving energy
efficiency in buildings (Display®) and transport
as well as the use of solar energy for the production of hot water in all municipal buildings.
Almada has been a member of the Energie-Cités
network since 1998.
q For further information
Please consult the “Case studies” section on the Energie-Cités
website: www.energie-cites.eu.
AGENEAL, Local Energy Management Agency of Almada
[email protected]
gy and electricity consumption. In addition, each
household receives a starter kit worth €51,
containing simple technical appliances such as
low-energy light bulbs and water-saving devices.
Following a co-operation agreement with private
sector companies, they were freely distributed to
400 households. The service enabled each of
them to make energy and water savings of €140
and of nearly 400 kg CO2 per year. Supported by
the Federal Environment Ministry, the concept is
now to be widely disseminated to other German
local authorities.
q For further information
www.caritas-frankfurt.de/46545.html
www.frankfurt.de
q For further information
Please consult the “Case studies” section on the
Energie-Cités website: www.energie-cites.eu.
Konon Komninos I Association of Local Authorities of Greater
Thessaloniki
[email protected]
I n°35 I November 2008
In the German city of Frankfurt, member of
Energie-Cités, price relief is not seen as a longterm solution to unpaid energy bills. Instead, the
social work association Caritas, on the initiative
of Werner Neumann from the municipal energy
department, prefers to act directly on energy
efficiency to literally switch off fuel poverty.
Hence, the “Cariteam energy saving service”
project was launched in 2005 to tackle fuel
poverty in homes. The concept is original and
copes with two problems at a time; reducing
energy poverty and unemployment. Cariteam
trained twelve long-term unemployed persons to
become consultants in energy and water savings.
They give low-income households free advice on
saving opportunities as regards water, heat ener-
uEnergie-Cités INFO
Cariteam article: The energy consultants of the Cariteam in Frankfurt advise the fuel poor to help them increase the energy efficiency of their homes.
Thessaloniki’s
urban solid
waste has been
more than just
waste for two
years now. The
main landfill in the Greek city has become an
important source of energy for the area since
the Association of Local Authorities of Greater
Thessaloniki, member of Energie-Cités since
2000, began operating a biogas power plant. The
5MW unit helps to deal with two main issues:
First, it eliminates the odour from the main landfill by collecting the produced biogas, which
contributes to the greenhouse effect. Second, it
reduces the burden of the growing electricity
bills by selling its own electricity to the energy
company. The total cost of the unit (including the
collection system, pipes and wells) was €6.35
million.
p.11
© Caritasverband Frankfurt e.V.
No wasted waste
in Thessaloniki
q SPEAKING OF
To be a member of Energie-Cités,
The Eco-neighbourhoods
now have their own dossier
is to draw on the experience and skills
of a European network in order to:
Discover the new section dedicated to sustainable districts on the Energie-Cités website.
A file will provide you with useful information
and practical tips and will answer the following
questions:
– What is a sustainable neighbourhood?
– Why are such neighbourhoods important?
– Why is the sustainable issue so critical at this
level?
© www.hammarbysjostad.se/glashusett
u Involve oneself in innovative
q For further information
www.energie-cites.eu/What-is-a-sustainable
Municipal energy and
climate planning a guide to the process
initiatives at local level such
as in the European Display®
Campaign
u Participate in European pro-
'
Ckd_Y_fWb[d[h]oWdZ
Yb_cWj[fbWdd_d]
ÅW]k_Z[jej^[fheY[ii
The Norwegian Energy Agency Enova SF has
prepared a guidebook on municipal climate and
energy planning as part of the support programme for Norwegian municipalities. The guidebook
is meant to be a tool for municipalities (both in
and outside Norway) aiming to establish their
own local energy and climate plan. EnergieCités, together with ADEME, has also prepared
a report on territorial climate plans. It is available in French from the “dossiers” section on:
www.energie-cites.eu
q For further information
www.managenergy.net/download/Norwegian_Guidebook_for_Municipalities.pdf
ces: individual assistance in
the preparation of projects,
general and specific information, study tours, conferences,
etc.
jects: Energie-Cités has already involved nearly 400 local
authorities in projects cofinanced by the European
Commission
u Discover
C k d _ Y _ f W b [ d [ h] o W d Z Y b _ c Wj [ f b W d d _ d ] Å W ] k _ Z[ j e j ^ [ f he Y [ i i
uBenefit from exclusive servi-
new practices
which have proved their
worth elsewhere: a database
of more than 600 good practices is available on our
Internet site
u Disseminate
information
concerning your own projects
on an international scale
through our communication
media
Being a member of
Energie-Cités, also
allows one to contribute
your know-how and so
make a practical
contribution to building
a new Europe.
For further information:
www.energie-cites.eu
uInfluence Community legislation by participating in the
consultation process and
enter into dialogue with
European institutions
numéro spécial – Avril 2008
Commission européenne
q For further information
www.energie-cites.eu/IMG/pdf/research-eu_energie_avril_2008.pdf
p.12
uEnergie-Cités INFO
I n°35 I November 2008
Time for Plan B: Cutting
Carbon Emissions
80 Percent by 2020
When political leaders look at the need to cut
carbon dioxide emissions to curb global warming, they ask the question: How much of a cut
is politically feasible? At the Earth Policy
Institute we ask a different question: How much
of a cut is necessary to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change?
q For further information
www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/80by2020.pdf
magazine de l’espace européen de la recherche
Director of Publication:
Gérard MAGNIN
Managing Editor:
Miriam EISERMANN
énergie
© Solúcar Platform from Abengoa Solar
This special issue of Research.eu, the magazine
of the European research area, was published
in April 2008. It contains an interesting report on
energy: fossil and renewable energy, the emission trading scheme, biofuels, energy efficiency,
peak oil and post-carbon societies.
research eu
ISSN 1830-799X
“Energy: extracting
ourselves from oil”
S’extraire
du pétrole
Contributors to this issue:
Béatrice ALCARAZ, Jana CICMANOVA,
Christophe FRÉRING, Olivier LAGARDE,
Nathalie MOROGE, Blandine PIDOUX,
Peter SCHILKEN, Ian TURNER and
Jean-Pierre VALLAR.
Graphic Design:
www.TUTTIQUANTI.net
Printer:
Imprimerie SIMON (Imprim'Vert)
Printed on recycled paper
N° ISSN: 1256-6098
Print run: 3,500 copies
Energie-Cités I Secretariat
2, chemin de Palente
F-25000 Besançon
Tel. : +33 3 81 65 36 80
Fax : +33 3 81 50 73 51
E-mail : [email protected]
Energie-Cités I Bureau Bruxelles
1, Square de Meeûs
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel. : +32 2 504 78 60
Fax : +32 2 504 78 61
E-mail : [email protected]
www.energie-cites.eu