Capacity Building on Energy Performance Contracting in European Markets in Transition

Project Information

EnPC-INTRANS

Grant agreement ID: 649639

DOI

10.3030/649639

Project closed

EC signature date 5 February 2015

Start date 1 March 2015

End date 28 February 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 1 922 870,85

EU contribution

€ 1 922 870,10

Coordinated by

DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FUR INTERNATIONALE ZUSAMMENARBEIT (GIZ) GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EnPC-INTRANS (Capacity Building on Energy Performance Contracting in European Markets in Transition)

Reporting period: 2016-03-01 to 2017-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD) defines the increase of energy efficiency (EE) in public buildings as an important milestone for the achievement of the European energy savings and climate protection targets.
In order to facilitate and finance EE improvements in buildings, the EU promotes through the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) the concept of energy performance contracting (EPC): An energy service compainy (ESCO) shall take the risk of implementing and financing EE investments and services in buildings on behalf of the owner. The ESCO shall recover its cost from annual EPC service fees paid by the building owner over a certain contract period. These service fees shall relate to the achievement of energy savings guaranteed by the ESCO. The building owners shall amortize the EPC service fees, in whole or in part, from energy cost savings achieved during the contract duration.
The objective of the EnPC-INTRANS project is to increase the market uptake of EPC in public buildings by means of implementing large-scale capacity building for local public authorities and their project partners in the design, development, tendering, contracting and implementation of EPC projects.
EnPC-INTRANS is a European cooperation project initated by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with European competence centres on EPC based in Croatia, Germany Greece and Slovenia, with a competence centre for e-learning based in Slovakia, and with key actors for the promotion of EPC at the local level in Latvia, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine. Partners are:
- GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (Germany)
- KEA Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
- EIHP Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar (Croatia)
- e-code (Slovakia)
- CRES Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (Greece)
- KSSENA Energy Agency of Savinjska, Šaleška and Koroška Region (Slovenia)
- AE3R Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Agency Ploiesti-Prahova (Romania)
- SCTM Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (Serbia)
- FIATU Finance & Technology Ukraine (Ukraine)
- ZREA Zemgale Regional Energy Agency (Latvia)
The project receives funding from the HORIZON 2020 European Reseach and Innovation Framework Programme of the European Union. This final report refers to full period of project implementation from March 2015 until February 2017.
In due course of project implementation, more than 5,700 experts and decision makers on the demand side of the market for EPC in public buildings were reached and enabled as well as encouraged to make use of EPC business models for EE improvements in public buildings.
The most common EPC business model, “EPC basic” aims at implementating EE investments and services paying back from guaranteed energy savings within 5-15 years. “EPC light” concepts provide energy management services without any major investments, typically paying back within 2-3 years. “EPC plus” caters for the deep renovation of buildings including both energy saving measures as well as non-energy-related measures and may require additional subsidies or up-front payments in order to amortize the included EE investments within an acceptable period of contract duration.
Target groups of EnPC-INTRANS information and training activities are:
- National and local policy makers and authorities.
- Energy agencies.
- Facilitators and advisers of local public authorities.
- ESCO companies.
- SMEs who would like joining the ESCO market.
- International institutions, as far as relevant in a country (e.g. in Ukraine, Serbia).
- Financing institutions.
- Other stakeholders and experts.
A group of 51 trainers were trained to provide information and training on EPC in public buildings to these target groups. They reached more than 3,500 stakeholders and experts. The trainees applied their newly acquired information and know-how in a number of new EPC projects triggering new EE investments in the total amount of at least 129 Million EURO and total energy savings of at least 87 GWh/year. One third of these projects are already contracted, the other is in the tender preparation stage.
EnPC-INTRANS information and training materials are available for free download from the project website in 10 different languages.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project started in March 2015 with stakeholder consultations resulting in a sound assessment of stakeholder expectations and training needs for all nine countries. Relevant EPC business models were specified and results published as the basis for further information and training activities. Training materials were developed and adapted to the target groups’ needs and intentions. Seminars, information events and online tutorials (webinars) were offered in the countries, flanked by an e-learning course offered for remote self-studies.
EnPC-INTRANS training materials are translated and available for free download from the project website in English and the nine partner languages: Croatian, German, Greek, Latvian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovakia, Slovenian and Ukrainian. The project website will be kept operational for at least two years beyond project duration.
EnPC-INTRANS project partners launched a number of press releases, media activities and information campaigns with a European-wide outreach. The project and its interim results were presented to a number of European networks and events promoting EPC in public buildings, such as e.g.:
- World Sustainable Energy Days. February 2016, Linz/Austria.
- Joint Research Centre - Institute for Energy and Transport (JRC-IET) European Workshop on Effective Energy Efficiency Policies, New Financing Instruments and ESCOs. November 2015, Varese/Italy.
- RENEXPO South-East Europe Energy + Efficiency Fair and Conference. November 2015, Bucharest/Romania.
- Women4Energy International Conference. December 2015, Stuttgart/Germany.
- Sustainable places, Anglet/France, June 2016.
- Sustainable energy forum, Baku/Azerbaijan, October 2016.
- EASME conference, Brussels/Belgium, January 2017.
- and many other.
Comprehensive impact monitoring and stakeholder consultation during the second year of project duration confirmed that the EnPC-INTRANS concept of capacity building on EPC in public buildings is an important key towards further market uptake of EPC in Europe.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The EnPC-INTRANS had a direct impact on a number of new EPC projects triggering at least 129 Million Euro of EE investments and at least 87 GWh of annual energy savings. These projects may provide an important push towards further market uptake of EPC in public buildings in Europe. At the end of the project, a comprehensive set of training concepts and materials for seminars, webinars and e-learning on EPC in public buildings is available for dissemination and replication of the EnPC-INTRANS information and training concepts throughout Europe.

Overview of project partner (logos and country names)

Priority subjects for capacity development identified by interested stakeholders

Basic concept of energy performance contracting

Overview of EPC business models (basic/light/plus) compared by achievable energy savings and planne