Polish Energy Performance Contracting Project wins European Award for Energy Efficiency

• Claude Turmes, member of the European Parliament, honours winners of the European Energy Service Award 2015
• President of European Investment Bank, Dr. Werner Hoyer, announces increase in financing of sustainable energy investments
• Energy Performance Contracting is an important tool for achieving EU energy efficiency targets

The Community of Sosnowiec in southern Poland has won one of five prizes at this year’s European Energy Service Award (EESA) ceremony. Within an Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) Project in cooperation with Siemens Poland, energy and carbon dioxide savings were achieved in 87 school buildings. For the first time in cooperation with the European Investment Bank, the Berliner Energieagentur (BEA) together with the European Commission awards the prizes in three different categories to outstanding European projects and institutions in the field of energy services.

Other winners were the West London Alliance, the Deutsche Postbank AG, Norwegian energy service provider Norsk Enøk og Energie AS (NEE) und the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN). The price is awarded in the context of the EU-funded project „European Energy Service Initiative Towards the EU 2020 Energy Saving Targets” (EESI 2020).

Claude Turmes, Member of the European Parliament, pointed out that increased efforts in energy efficiency in buildings are necessary to ensure the EU achieving its climate targets. "The European Union has set up the legal framework. Now it is up to the member states, to reduce energy consumption of its public and private buildings by implementing renovation roadmaps or models like EPC.”

EIB President Werner Hoyer stressed in his opening remarks the need for a change in climate financing: “Public funds alone are insufficient, and it is clear that the vast majority of climate related financing will have to come from the private sector. What is needed is intelligent financing by bringing private investors on board. This is exactly what the EIB has done for years and what will be further reinforced through the European Fund for Strategic Investments.”

 Marie C. Donnelly, Director in the Directorate General for Energy at the European Commission and member of EESA jury, underlined the importance of energy services and the need to activate private capital to achieve the energy efficiency targets of the European Union.

Chief Executive Officer of Berliner Energieagentur Michael Geissler stated: „Energy Performance Contracting is a key tool to promote climate protection. For the last ten years the European Energy Service Award has been contributing to establish this instrument in Europe and to promote energy services market development.”

The prize winners are

Category „Best Energy Service Project“

EPC Project in Schools in the City of Sosnowiec in the Silesian region, Poland: Due to the implementation of a remote room temperature control system, the modernisation of heating systems and substations as well as the modernization of lighting in 87 schools, the Community of Sosnowiec in cooperation with Siemens Poland achieved annual electricity savings of 20.6 percent, heat savings of 30.8 percent and a reduction of CO₂ emissions of 5.000 tons.

EPC Project West London Alliance, England: A common tender of three London boroughs for energy efficiency measures guarantees annual energy savings. In the first round, the energy costs of a of building pool consisting of 21 buildings were reduced by 23.5 percent as well as 1310 tons of CO2 emissions were reduced by – among other measures –using renewable energies and storage solutions.

Contracting Project for lighting in buildings of Deutsche Postbank AG: In co-operation with energy service provider SPIE, existing luminaires in several facilities of Postbank were replaced with LED modules. Guaranteed annual savings are 333.000 Euro, reduction of CO₂ emissions is 1.100 tons per year.

Category „Best European Energy Service Provider“:

Norwegian energy service provider Norsk Enøk og Energie AS (NEE) successfully implemented many energy efficiency projects, among others for the Community of Kongsberg: As Energy Performance Contractor, NEE implemented more than 300 measures in 36 different buildings on 70.000 square meters. Within the contract period of ten years, NEE guarantees reduction of 290 tons of CO₂ emissions and energy cost savings of 500.000 Euro per year.

Category „Best European Energy Service Promoter“:

Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN): Among other measures, the Institute developed new tendering and project models based on guaranteed energy savings and also realised ten different energy efficiency projects in public buildings in Catalonia. Furthermore EPC projects concerning street lighting were realized in 30 cities and communities. Achieved common savings of CO₂ emissions are 22.000 tons per year.

European Energy Service Award (EESA)

The European Energy Service Award has been awarded to projects, companies and multipliers who have rendered outstanding services to the development of markets for energy services in Europe regularly since 2006. The magazine "Euro Heat & Power" and “Greenbuilding.info” are this year’s media partners for the European Energy Service Award.

“European Energy Service Initiative Towards the EU 2020 Energy Saving Targets” (EESI 2020)

EESI 2020 is an EU-funded initiative which aims to promote the energy performance contracting model in Europe. There are partners from nine countries, supporting nine metropolitan areas in establishing energy performance contracting and monitoring of pilot projects, organizing workshops and trainings, working out guidelines and informing the public, all coordinated by the Berliner Energieagentur. EESI 2020 is a follow-up project of the "European Energy Service Initiative" (EESI).

Please find more information on the European Energy Service Initiative following this link http://eesi2020.eu/de as well as pictures of the awarding ceremony http://eesi2020.eu/news-events/eesa/eesa-in-pictures/.

Berliner Energieagentur GmbH

The Berliner Energieagentur GmbH is a private Energy Service Company. The Agency was founded in 1992 on the initiative of the Berlin House of Representatives to open up energy saving potentials and to promote the use of renewable energies. Equal shareholders are the State of Berlin, Vattenfall Wärme AG, GASAG Berliner Gaswerke Aktiengesellschaft and KfW Bankengruppe.

Innovative projects that save energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions have been developed and implemented for public and non-profit facilities, real estates and building companies, industry, trade and service companies as well as for hospitals.