Report: ManagEnergy Annual Conference - February 2006: European Conference on Local Energy Action
The contribution of Local Actors to the EU Action Plan for Energy Efficiency

Proceedings including Internet Broadcast video on demand recordings

This event included the official launch of the ManagEnergy KidsCorner

Conference Conclusions by Conference Rapporteur, Samuele Furfari
Closing Remarks by the Conference Chairman, Alfonso Gonzalez-Finat

Conference Conclusions
Rapporteur: Samuele Furfari, Deputy-Head of Unit, Regulatory Policy and Promotion of New and Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, Energy and Transport DG, European Commission

"Je vous ai compris" - "I am with you"

It is clear that Local & Regional authorities have a key role in sustainable energies and particularly for energy efficiency.

We were convinced of this before this ManageEnergy Conference. We are even more so now ...

In the answers to questions on the Energy Efficiency Green Paper, there is near-unanimity to recognize your fundamental role if Energy efficiency is to continue to improve in the European Union.

As I am mentioning the concept of Energy efficiency, I have in fact been surprised not to hear these words very often in the conference. We have used "reduction of energy" more, whereas these two are in fact very different concepts. Our aim is to do more with less, which means to increase energy efficiency.

The main ideas you have mentioned will now be analysed, and when appropriate in regard to the rule of subsidiarity, and the cost-benefit ratio positive, we shall include them in the Action Plan which the Commission will adopt later this year.

I should also remind you that the debate on the Energy Efficiency Green Paper is still open till the end of March. We have drawn up an on-line questionnaire which you will find on the Energy Efficiency Green Paper web page. I encourage you to post your contribution, as we shall do not only a qualitative analysis, but also a quantitative one.

At the conclusion to this event, let me mention some ideas that look particularly relevant to us in drafting the Energy Efficiency Action Plan.

"What is missing is information" you told us yesterday and today. This is confirmed by the recent Eurobarometer survey, n° 64.2. In the ongoing debate, there is not a single contribution which does not include this.
    But please let me nuance this... I am not sure that we are really missing "information". What we are missing is "communication" which is not the same thing. Printing a leaflet is "information", organising an energy day or energy week is "communication". Giving a brochure to your mayor is "information"; taking him to a 'more advanced' city where it's even easier to see what can be done, is "communication".
    Printing a sticker is "information" but a teacher explaining to children the impact on energy use if they come to school by car is "communication".
    I agree. We, you, all together will need to do more "communication" on Energy efficiency. The Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign can help you a lot and therefore I urge you to adhere en masse to the Campaign.
Energy efficiency has to be implemented by a lot of people that are neither interested in, nor know much about energy issues. We shall need to inform them in such a way as to stimulate their interest. Therefore training, particularly of workers, technicians, including installers such as plumbers, is key for Energy Efficiency policy. You as local energy players have a substantial role to play here.
A key question is "who should do what?" We shall need to elaborate more on that, but you can imagine that we will have 25 different answers to this question. We should however set guidelines in order that - while fully respecting Member States' internal structures and their differences - we avoid losing synergies available between the various levels.
Benchmarking has been mentioned as a powerful tool. Imagine if all the good examples we have aired in these two days were to be applied in the EU's more than ten thousand local authorities? ManagEnergy is an excellent tool to contribute to this, but owing to the huge potential and the delay we see in spreading the messages, we shall have to work out new dissemination tools. There, creativity will obviously be a major trigger.
A few words on financing: we keep talking about ESCOs, new financing schemes, and so on, but clearly the results are not coming easily. Neither our conference, nor the Energy Efficiency Green Paper debate are giving really fresh ideas. This should be better analysed in discussions with financial institutions themselves. We might consider calling a specific meeting on this challenging topic. Here, the new Energy Services Directive has of course to be brought into the picture.
That inevitably brings me to another sort of financing - the vital question of financing energy agencies, which is often a question of survival. We have already been asked by the ManagEnergy Reflection Group to consider using a small contribution from the funds raised (but alas not everywhere...) from the Public Service Obligation Levy provided for in the gas and electricity Directives, in order to finance some further ongoing support for certain agency activities.
We have been told that we should create "Lisbon catalyst areas". We are already promoting this concept through the "Concerto" programme. But first impressions from the on-going call for proposals suggest that local authorities are still not sufficiently dynamic in doing this and inventing the characteristic of the area.
Therefore we are back to square one. Are your leaders in the Regional and local authorities sufficiently convinced? A lot has to be done yet to create the critical mass that will definitively change the trend of Energy Efficiency in your communities. Evangelism is a necessity!
This takes me to the striking comment made that we already have enough pilot projects, and that we should disseminate these optimally, rather than seek yet more innovation - especially if the latter is to be at the expense of the former. I agree that we should put every effort into production and implementation of Energy efficiency products. But how? I am trying at the moment to write an answer.
I have the impression that we should help you more with certain tools. For example, events such as workshops are powerful tools to address specific topics, share experience and obtain results.
We are now starting to work on an EU action to promote Heating & Cooling from renewable energies. The European Parliament is going to adopt a report on this suject next week. I am totally convinced that you are the best interlocutors for this important dossier. H & C are issues that can only be dealt with at local level : district heating with geothermal energy is a local issue, producing domestic hot water from solar energy is a local issue, burning wood chips in modern boilers is a local issue. We will very likely come back to you on this new dossier we are now opening.
Energy education has an enormous win-win, in many cases even cost-free, potential, and energy agencies should pay more attention to this as both a short- and a long-term action. Start now because energy saving is both an immediate and a long-term challenge, because it is a real investment for future generations. Tools are available, but how to reach all schools is a challenge that Local & Regional Agencies cannot solve alone. We shall need involvement of teachers, schools and parents' associations. In the Action Plan on Energy efficiency we shall probably have to announce that this should be addressed in co-operation with central schools authorities. As regards the energy agency level, I strongly recommend that you set up a thematic network on energy education.
Lastly, 'Fuel poverty', although usually correctly identified, is not receiving enough attention. I have been told that one of you is even working with detainees to prepare them for better re-integration in society upon their release, including by raising energy saving awareness.
"Energy and society" is certainly a theme which, however broad it may be, we shall have to address more effectively, if we are to reach our 20% target. We should be clearer and not leave vulnerable people's energy bills to be paid by charities, but rather use the money for energy efficiency.

Closing Remarks by the Conference Chairman
Alfonso Gonzalez-Finat, Director, New and Renewable Energies & Energy Demand Management, Energy and Transport DG, European Commission

Now it is time to close this conference. You have had the opportunity of discussing a variety of topics and issues related to action at local level. The conclusions presented by Samuele Furfari have taken most of them on board.

The conclusions reflect your opinions and your requests. I think it would be useful to add a few words on what the Commission is doing and intending to do in favour of local action.

First of all, the timing of this conference is not casual. We are in the latest stages of the consultation on the Green Paper on Energy Efficiency. The fact of organising a conference for local and regional actors at this moment is clear proof of the interest that we give to your suggestions. I commit to consider your ideas and suggestions for the next major task, the preparation of the Action Plan for Energy Efficiency. I think that the key role of the local and regional energy actors will be clear in that action plan.

Secondly, let me remind you, as I did in my opening speech, that this is the fifth ManagEnergy conference. During those five years we have been implementing a good number of services and facilities for you. Thanks to that and, mostly, to your effort, we can appreciate that the situation now is much better than five years ago.

I will mention just a few examples:

there are several hundred highly performing agencies throughout Europe , which have a forum to get in contact and to learn from each other.
On top of that, more than 20 training events are supported each year through ManagEnergy.
ManagEnergy has been the first EU initiative to incorporate state-of-the-art communication technologies, to the benefit of all of us.
The KidsCorner is an initiative genuinely reacting to your needs in terms of energy education
You can see that your ideas have been taken into account by looking at the profile of participants in the Energy Intelligent Europe programme, as compared to the former SAVE and Altener programmes: the number of regional and local energy actors involved in IEE has more than tripled.

But I think that this evolution is not enough: we will continue to advance and we commit to do our best to improve ManagEnergy, to provide even better services to the regional and local actors. A new call for tenders reinforcing the present services will be launched soon. Also the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign will be reinforced to give room for networking activities. Our intentions for the future Energy Intelligent Europe 2 programme are that it will also reflect the increasing role to be played by you.

But let me remind you that our effort cannot be effective if you do not react to our initiatives. The Commission needs the feedback and the constructive suggestions of the regional and local actors to move forward with our sustainable energy policy.

Finally, there is one more action that the Commission could undertake to help you, provided you are committed to it. We can support the relevance of the role of the agencies vis-à-vis your mayors, presidents of regions and local authorities, and other elected representatives, within the context of the EU sustainable energy policy. We could propose to organise a high level meeting between the European Commission and your elected representatives later this year. This meeting would by no means replace the ManagEnergy conference: we need it to be a working event, and we should need the operational people for that. But it could help to convince those who have to finance the agencies of their relevance and need. It could also be the forum for a new start for the Cork charter. Please think about it, and let us have your reactions by e-mail to the Commission's staff with whom you work closely.

I would like to conclude just by thanking all of you for your attendance, your active involvement and our commitment for a brighter energy future for Europe.

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