S O L U T I O N S
Companies and consumers can only win from energy saving strategies, delegates were told at the Aarhus conference in June. As a result, ministers endorsed a policy statement on energy efficiency which is hoped to benefit European economic development and the environment.
Experts say that energy efficiency can be improved by up to 30 percent over the next 2-3 years, reducing the cost of fuel for the consumer and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by four to six billion tones per year. They also say that 15-20 percent of energy is lost during use in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) compared to just a few percent in the West. While no target figures were announced at Aarhus for reducing wasteful energy use, it was agreed that the policy could be implemented through cutting energy subsidies, creating economic incentives and promoting efficient technology.
Replacing outdated technology in the power plants of CEE is a good example of how the ministers' "win-win" strategies make particular sense. Eric Carlson, a program manager with REC partner Alliance to Save Energy, says that companies and governments, however, still tend to go for short-term options despite the fact that energy efficient policies would save them money in the long term. "The problem is that progress still means creating something. That means a power plant rather than an energy-efficient building design because you can't see anything with that," Carlson said.
Creaking district heating systems and consumer subsidy schemes which currently exist in the region are also an important target. When Johannes Linn, the World Bank's Vice President for Europe and Asia, visited a St. Petersburg flat, he was shocked to find that all four of the flat's gas burners were fired up although residents could have used much less heat. "People have to realise that this stuff isn't free," Linn said. Energy efficiency experts advocate modernising district heating systems and making them more efficient and less centralised. Simple moves such as insulating doors and windows can also make a big difference.
For most CEE countries, however, the concept has so far proven difficult to put into practice. According to Peter Hobson, senior banker in energy efficiency at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the energy efficiency strategy that ministers endorsed at Aarhus is over-ambitious and vague. "It's all very well to have a policy at one level but when it's not matched up with actions that a municipality or a company take up at their own level then it's pointless," he said. "There are very few laws or regulations which require people to do anything — nothing which makes you go out and buy an energy efficiency lightbulb or an efficient heating system. You do whatever is easier to do," Hobson added. He recommended financial incentives to companies investing in energy efficient projects, labelling of energy efficient appliances and budgeting for energy efficient schemes within local municipalities.
Ironing out workable solutions will be an important part of winning over governments, businesses and the consumer to green energy policies. Contact: Eric Carlson.
