EEW3 Strategic Exchange Session on Energy Efficiency Indicators

Back to back with FEDARENE’s General Assembly of 2017 was held a strategic exchange session building on the conclusions that had been reached at the previous GA EEW3 session (September 2016 in Pescara, Italy). This session specifically focused on how can local and regional energy agencies safeguard energy efficiency objectives in changing political environments. Many sustainable energy experts are used to using environmental and climate arguments however these do not carry the same weight for different parties and stakeholders.

Objective and main programme point

The main objective of the meeting in Berlin was to discuss which types of arguments, facts and figures (other than climate change) local and regional sustainable energy agencies could use to convince regional/local politicians to support sustainable energy.  Not targets in terms of measurable impact as a person or organisation, but topics regional politicians are in principle interested in and how energy efficiency and renewables could contribute to it. The exchanges started based on an indicative list of wider societal impacts that energy efficiency and renewable can have:

• Improving economic competitiveness of the region through innovation.
• Creating new jobs/maintaining existing ones.
• Better air quality, specifically in cities.
• Social issues, alleviating (energy) poverty, improving housing.
• Saving public expenditures (and freeing money for things that they may find more interesting).
• Independence (over spending on imports and/or less dependence on politically instable regions).

In small groups, then in a plenary session, experts discussed the numbers and facts they use to back up claims that energy efficiency or renewables are contributing to these impacts.