Forcing realisation of energy saving measures in business

Panel: Panel 1: Policy (incentives, normative measures, policy mixes to achive CO_2 reduction)

Authors:
Peter Sattler, Sattler Energie Consulting
Werner Schöffer, Sattler Energie Consulting

Abstract

Today it is widely known that the commercial and industrial sector hold enormous energy reduction potentials. But beside the knowledge about these potentials it is decisive to motivate the companies to examine the possible measures and to translate economic potentials into action.

In several districts of Austria at present a multi-stage procedure is applied for this purpose, which consists of the following steps:

Providing and publication of branch energy concepts based on a detailed examination of companies which are representative for this trade. These examinations show, which typical possibilities are given to raise energy efficiency in the individual branch.
In the course of a short-term promotion, a specific energy concept is performed for several companies and a subsidy of 25% is given for the necessary investments to realise reductions in energy use.
The third step is a broad promotion of the results of step two, so that the members of the branch have concrete examples. The result is a large scale consulting campaign in energy patterns in order to realise savings in the whole branch.

The paper shows the previous experiences in Austria and the success factors as well as critical points for such multi-stage procedures, just like:

A narrow co-operation between the trade representatives, the promoters as well as the involved energy consultants.
Clear requirements on the quality of the concepts, where good experiences were made by the call for measurements as a basis for the concepts.