Website: www.necproject.info

Case Study (87 Kb PDF)

Summary

The NEC project aims to create a sustainable energy community (SEC) in Foligno (IT), Brasov (RO), Rousse (BG) thought planning of new energy strategies. These communities will be connected and unified and their aim will be to represent a reference point (pioneers) for the following development of the initiatives applied firstly just at local level and then spread. NEC project also aims to promote and disseminate the SEC concept.

Energy saving Measures through this project will reduce the energy consumption with approximately 20 % in the three communities (15 % in Italy and 25 % in Bulgaria and Romania). Annual savings of 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂ are also estimated by the following measures:

• Energy certifications of buildings
• Inspections of boilers and air-conditioning systems
• New regulation and minimum standards
• Increase of public transports
• Use of methane gas vehicles
• New energy and transports plans

The project is funded under the Intelligent Energy - Europe programme.

Results

This project will demonstrate that a high level of RES and RUE is feasible. The three SEC created within this project in 3 different Countries will become showcases for the dissemination of the SEC concept around Europe. Dissemination potential of both local and regional level is very high thanks to the involvement from local and regional authorities.

Tanks to Workshops and the "clean transport day", the NEC project will promote local sustainable concepts, establish favorable conditions for local energy markets, and create awareness through dissemination of good practice examples. Thanks to energy certification of buildings NEC will launch concrete implementation measures for the RUE and open a reflection area for future policy initiatives in this field. In fact, based on the results from the energy certification of buildings, local authorities will produce new regulations and energy plans. Results from the NEC project will also support dissemination at National and EU level by involving Agency net workings, participants/contractors of the CoA EPBD, authorities net workings etc.

NEC project can reach a critical mass of pioneer communities by the end of 2006 with involvement of many different net workings and multimedia instruments.

Benefits of proposed action have been estimated using data from "Green Paper", "White Paper", Agenda 21 and National societies of statistics.

Estimation of expected energy savings is approximately 20 % (15 % in Italy, 25 % in Bulgaria and Romania) due to energy certification of buildings, inspection of boilers and air-conditioning systems and new regulations and minimum standards.

Estimation of expected cost savings is 15 % in the short term and 30 % in the long term due to favorable conditions for local energy markets and local / regional regulations.

The energy supply dependency is expected to decrease with approximately 10 % in the short term, but up to 30 % in the long term due to implementation of good practice.

Improvements of energy service quality are high.

Annual savings of 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions are estimated after the energy certification of buildings, inspection of boilers and air-conditioning systems, new regulations and minimum standards, increase of public transport, use of methane gas vehicles, new energy and transport plans.