Eco Consulting has a project that aims to introduce new approach to local energy planning that will be developed, tested and demonstrated by a comprehensive set of tools, benchmarking of sustainable best practice examples for local energy planning.

This action will help communities to be or become a member of the Covenant of Mayors, embracing sustainable energy issues in a holistic way, covering both demand and supply side measures, whilst at the same time strengthening collaboration between all relevant stakeholders and stimulating energy efficient behaviour. While Communities are elaborating local energy plans widely, it is very important that they continue to implement activities set in the action plans. Otherwise solely local energy planning is meaningless and does not provide any benefits to Communities. In practice communities do not focus adequately on the implementation part of the local energy plan, but are spending most of their time on elaborating them.

In addition, implementation of activities stated in action plans stays neglected far too often. Therefore this project aims to bridge the gap between elaboration and implementation of the local energy plan.

The purpose of the project is to provide precise, consistent and unified rules for elaboration of the sustainable local energy plans based on benchmarking of local energy approaches in each partner's country. Other than that they aim to develop expert groundwork for elaboration and implementation of local energy plans by preparing special guidebook for elaboration and implementation of the local energy plan that would serve as an expert tool to achieve concrete results and would comprise of methodology for local energy planning and 5 - steps model that lessens the gap between elaboration and implementation of the local energy plans.

The latter involves crucial 5 steps that could help Communities to implement their action plans in wider context than they have done so far.

They strive not only to develop expert support to local authorities, but also to put theory into practice. For that reason the project predicts to create pilot Community in each partner's country in order to test new methodology for local energy planning. Testing will be done by measuring indicators identified in the 5 - steps model.

Keywords: sustainable communities, local energy planning, local energy concepts, benchmarking of best practices

Contact: Vanja Vrstovsek - vanja.vrstovsek@eco-con.si