Periodic Reporting for period 2 - INNOVEAS (INNOVativing the uptake of Energy Auditing Schemes for SMEs)
Período documentado: 2020-12-01 hasta 2022-05-31
The development of all economic potentials for energy saving is a fundamental condition for achieving the European energy and climate policy goals for 2030 and 2050.
Energy efficiency in enterprises is an important aspect in achieving climate change objectives while strengthening the competitiveness. European Small and Medium Enterprises are exempt of the obligation to carry out energy audits.
The aim of INNOVEAS is to encourage SMEs to adopt energy saving measures by building capacity in the field of energy auditing in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
In order to do so, INNOVEAS facilitates the investment in energy efficiency for SMEs by:
• analyzing the structural and behavioural barriers to energy audits;
• providing an articulated Capacity Building Programme to identify the best energy efficiency measures to be adopted in SMEs;
• creating an institutional structure to maintain the objectives and results of the project.
INNOVEAS is addressing industrial associations, policy makers, institutional actors and financial institutions because of their importance in the whole process.
The training programmes that the project offers address the needs of the stakeholders and range from webinars to tailored in-company trainings and to special trainings for energy auditors.
The goal of Innoveas is to reach a great number of SMEs and to create a community of stakeholders with an active participation in the activities of the project in order to achieve a significant impact on energy culture.
Energy efficiency in enterprises is an important aspect in achieving climate change objectives while strengthening the competitiveness. European Small and Medium Enterprises are exempt of the obligation to carry out energy audits.
The aim of INNOVEAS is to encourage SMEs to adopt energy saving measures by building capacity in the field of energy auditing in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
In order to do so, INNOVEAS facilitates the investment in energy efficiency for SMEs by:
• analyzing the structural and behavioural barriers to energy audits;
• providing an articulated Capacity Building Programme to identify the best energy efficiency measures to be adopted in SMEs;
• creating an institutional structure to maintain the objectives and results of the project.
INNOVEAS is addressing industrial associations, policy makers, institutional actors and financial institutions because of their importance in the whole process.
The training programmes that the project offers address the needs of the stakeholders and range from webinars to tailored in-company trainings and to special trainings for energy auditors.
The goal of Innoveas is to reach a great number of SMEs and to create a community of stakeholders with an active participation in the activities of the project in order to achieve a significant impact on energy culture.
An extensive literature review has been conducted on the state of the art of energy culture, the current attitude towards energy saving measures and energy transition in Small and Medium Enterprises in European countries.
Other activities that contributed to completing the analysis of existing framework conditions were:
- direct interviews with key informants linked with SMEs (such as: energy auditors, policy makers, representatives of finance institutions, business associations, etc.) concerning the adoption of energy efficiency measures and existing non-technical barriers that hinder the dissemination of energy audits as common practice in SMEs;
- a documented review in the countries involved in the INNOVEAS Project of the existing regulatory and financial conditions that influence the use of energy audits and the adoption of energy saving measures;
- an online survey, addressed to key profiles in SMEs, aimed at understanding the perception of energy audits by SMEs in the 5 countries where INNOVEAS will implement training activities (Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain).
All these activities provided relevant elements to identify requirements for the training offer for SMEs and other key stakeholders: policy-makers, financial institutions and energy auditors.
A capacity-building programme has been designed to overcome the behavioural and organizational constraints that hinder the implementation of energy audits in SMEs.
An actual structured training plan has been provided which details the contents, formats, expected number and type of participants, the activity performance indicators and the capacity building programme.
The web-based modules for the training of SMEs are the first step of this capacity building plan; these videos have already been developed and are available on the Innoveas website (Training platform). The following phases of the capacity building programme have already been designed and will start at the beginning of 2021. The next steps will be the development of presentation webinars, of multiple editions of training address to employees from several companies and of in-company training.
The partners have defined the first elements for the creation of the network that we have called “European Alliance for Energy Audits in SMEs” by setting up a working group composed both by members of the Innoveas consortium and by external actors interested in the process toward energy saving.
Other activities that contributed to completing the analysis of existing framework conditions were:
- direct interviews with key informants linked with SMEs (such as: energy auditors, policy makers, representatives of finance institutions, business associations, etc.) concerning the adoption of energy efficiency measures and existing non-technical barriers that hinder the dissemination of energy audits as common practice in SMEs;
- a documented review in the countries involved in the INNOVEAS Project of the existing regulatory and financial conditions that influence the use of energy audits and the adoption of energy saving measures;
- an online survey, addressed to key profiles in SMEs, aimed at understanding the perception of energy audits by SMEs in the 5 countries where INNOVEAS will implement training activities (Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain).
All these activities provided relevant elements to identify requirements for the training offer for SMEs and other key stakeholders: policy-makers, financial institutions and energy auditors.
A capacity-building programme has been designed to overcome the behavioural and organizational constraints that hinder the implementation of energy audits in SMEs.
An actual structured training plan has been provided which details the contents, formats, expected number and type of participants, the activity performance indicators and the capacity building programme.
The web-based modules for the training of SMEs are the first step of this capacity building plan; these videos have already been developed and are available on the Innoveas website (Training platform). The following phases of the capacity building programme have already been designed and will start at the beginning of 2021. The next steps will be the development of presentation webinars, of multiple editions of training address to employees from several companies and of in-company training.
The partners have defined the first elements for the creation of the network that we have called “European Alliance for Energy Audits in SMEs” by setting up a working group composed both by members of the Innoveas consortium and by external actors interested in the process toward energy saving.
The Innoveas Partnership has addressed the many challenges that energy culture and energy transition often have to face, focusing specifically on issues relating to the low uptake of energy audit practices by European Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs have a crucial role to play in achieving the goals of the green transition. Energy efficiency is just one of the many measures companies need to take. For the vast majority of small companies, a business logic for adoption based solely on cost savings will not provide sufficient motivation for change. The energy auditing is an important part of the adoption process; however the analysis conducted so far has insisted on the need to change the narrative around the energy audit and reinvent the auditing business.
Generally, SMEs are very diverse entities and each SME has specific problems in developing a strategy and implementing energy efficiency programmes. Each business experiences a unique combination of barriers, even though operating in the same industry and in the same geographic location.
Most of the barriers, not only the external ones, are connected to the economic, financial and social environment in which the SME operates. The initiation or strengthening of an improvement process towards the energy transition is often not hindered by a single barrier in itself. What is decisive is the accumulation of many barriers that the entrepreneur has to face, more or less simultaneously.
Therefore, capacity-building activities, albeit with various facets and depending on the various contexts and types of SMEs, should deal with all the real and potential barriers in an integrated way.
Furthermore, we will implement a “multi-actors” approach in capacity building and awareness-raising.
SMEs, as well as energy auditors, policymakers, financial institutions' officials, industrial associations' representatives will be involved in order to create an “enabling environment” that will allow to implement effectively energy saving measures. These actors have already been involved in several dissemination and informative events, and will soon be engaged in the activities of the “European Alliance for Energy Efficiency in SMEs”.
SMEs have a crucial role to play in achieving the goals of the green transition. Energy efficiency is just one of the many measures companies need to take. For the vast majority of small companies, a business logic for adoption based solely on cost savings will not provide sufficient motivation for change. The energy auditing is an important part of the adoption process; however the analysis conducted so far has insisted on the need to change the narrative around the energy audit and reinvent the auditing business.
Generally, SMEs are very diverse entities and each SME has specific problems in developing a strategy and implementing energy efficiency programmes. Each business experiences a unique combination of barriers, even though operating in the same industry and in the same geographic location.
Most of the barriers, not only the external ones, are connected to the economic, financial and social environment in which the SME operates. The initiation or strengthening of an improvement process towards the energy transition is often not hindered by a single barrier in itself. What is decisive is the accumulation of many barriers that the entrepreneur has to face, more or less simultaneously.
Therefore, capacity-building activities, albeit with various facets and depending on the various contexts and types of SMEs, should deal with all the real and potential barriers in an integrated way.
Furthermore, we will implement a “multi-actors” approach in capacity building and awareness-raising.
SMEs, as well as energy auditors, policymakers, financial institutions' officials, industrial associations' representatives will be involved in order to create an “enabling environment” that will allow to implement effectively energy saving measures. These actors have already been involved in several dissemination and informative events, and will soon be engaged in the activities of the “European Alliance for Energy Efficiency in SMEs”.