Good Practice Case Study: Energy Efficiency SMEs in Norrbotten, Sweden

Case Study (116 Kb PDF)

Summary

The aim for the project "Energy efficient enterprising in Norrbotten" is to create a market for energy efficient enterprising among small and medium size companies in the region. Vocational training and activation of regional competence have been carried out alongside with efforts to interest and engage companies in energy efficiency measures. The project was financed with EU structural fund Objective 1 Norra Norrland, Swedish Energy Agency, the County Administrative Board of Norrbotten and Norrbotten County Council. The following activities have been arranged in the duration of the project:

• Two seminar series, each with three workshops, targeted to present as well as future consultants/actors.
• Pilot studies on three companies in energy efficient enterprising combined with a proposal of energy efficiency measures.
• Six kick-off meetings for enterprises.
• Energy surveys that include proposals of energy efficiency measures, were performed at 16 different enterprises in Norrbotten,

The project has, among other things, resulted in:

• More than 30 persons have received vocational training to perform energy surveys in small and medium size enterprises.
• Seven new companies, most of them in the field of energy efficiency, have been established and ten of the workshop participants have had new employments. A regional network for energy efficient enterprising have been created with more than 100 names.
• Proposals for conversion of heating systems, efficient use of electricity and heating that would reduce the use of electricity with up to 30 percent and for heat up to 84 percent and help the enterprises to reduce their annually energy costs with 5 000 to 350 000 € due to the actual enterprise.
• Energy efficient measures have been presented to the 19 enterprises which together can decrease the CO2 emissions with about 7 million kilograms annually.
• Public reports from energy surveys performed in the project

Each participant received a diploma after the training seminars

One pilot study was carried out at the tourist facility Ripan in Kiruna

Results

The project has, among other things, resulted in:

• More than 30 persons have received vocational training to perform energy surveys in small and medium size enterprises.
• Two training seminar series, each with three workshops, targeted to present as well as future consultants/actors.
• Seven new companies have been established, and most of them offer energy efficiency services.
• A regional network for energy efficient enterprising with more than 80 different companies have been created. The network regularly receives information about energy efficiency from the project and the Swedish Energy Agency.
• New employments in already established companies that have participated in the workshop training.
• Three pilot studies, two in process industries and one in a tourist facility.
• Development of an efficient method for energy surveys.
• Proposal of measures that may result in a total energy efficiency of 1,9 GWh electricity and 15,1 GWh heating, which represents between 3-31 percent of the companies accumulated use of electricity and between 5 and 84 percent of the heating demand on annual basis.
• Energy efficient measures have been presented to the 19 enterprises which together can decrease the CO2 emissions with about 7 million kilograms annually.The energy efficient measures that have been presented to the 19 enterprises can help them to reduce their annually energy costs with 5 000 to 350 000 € due to the actual enterprise.
• Six kick-off meetings with companies. The meetings have been planned and carried out together with the trade and industry units in the municipalities.
• Approximately 30 percent women among the participants.
• Extensive dissemination of information through printed material, website, seminars, news paper articles, newsletters etc
• Public reports from energy surveys performed at small and medium size enterprises. All reports are available on www.nenet.se. There will be in total 20 public reports (including one for all activities in the project) with proposals of energy efficiency measures as a result from the project.

Lessons learned and repeatability

The project has already received attention, in the region as well as on a national level. It shows how a regional energy agency can cooperate with governmental actors in the field of energy, regional R&D bodies, trade and industry organisations etc in order to step up the establishment of a regional market within an area that is prioritized by the European Commission, the Swedish government and public, regional development bodies. Methods and tools that have been developed in the project can be disseminated to other regions.

Other regions can for example, benefit from the experiences made in the project regarding:

• Vocational training of future consultants/actors within energy efficient enterprising
• Dissemination of information to, and contacts with, small and medium size enterprises
• The process of energy surveys
• Results from energy surveys
• Cooperation between regional energy agencies, regional R&D bodies, etc

To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
Biomass & Bioenergy : Buildings : Cooling : District Heating : ESCOs : Education : Electricity : Energy Efficiency : Heat/Heating : Industry : Lighting : ManagEnergy : Renewable Energy Sources & Systems : SMEs : Tourism : Training : User behaviour

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NENET - Norrbottens Energikontor AB