Focus Energy efficiency
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TO SAVE ENERGY EVERY CENT COUNTS
The EUREM.NET project
EUREM.NET fighting climate change
Being heavily reliant on fossil fuels, European industries are major contributors to carbon emissions. Energy consumption is inevitable and the road to energy efficiency is long and winding for a large portion of European businesses. But the savings are there to be made. Overall, it is estimated that about 25% of all energy used in the industry can be reduced in a cost-effective manner. Through the EUREM.NET project, we carried out a total of 346 energy efficiency assessments in 12 countries.
After an initial average estimate of 400 MWh in energy savings, we were happy to discover that the real savings would be as high as 2 000 MWh per participant. Moving forward, we reasonably expect about 80% of all energy plans to be implemented, which would lead to a cut of CO2 emissions by over 230 000 tonnes per year.
The role of energy managers is still a fairly new one, requiring a unique combination of technical, business and ‘soft’ skills. Clearly, energy managers are expected not only to know all the benefits of energy efficiency and be informed about renewable energy sources, but also to have an intimate knowledge of the cost structure and the key performance indicators of their company. Nowadays energy managers must also be familiar with the legislation in force so they must have a good understanding of EU law and its jargon. On top of that, they must be excellent project managers to put all this into practice. And we should not forget the importance of sharing best practices with other business partners, so energy managers must also be good social networkers. Of course, most of these skills can be learnt or improved: this is the very essence of the EUREM.NET training programme.
In every company there is potential for energy savings, the energy manager should have a flair for spotting it and making sure that the top management sees it as well. Experience shows that when it comes to energy savings, it is not only about big numbers. In fact, every euro cent counts – especially in difficult times such as the current economic downturn. Studies reveal that the average pay-back period of an energy saving plan is just over four years, so it will be up to the energy managers to make the case for energy-saving measures to their management boards.
They should help them realise that sound energy management is crucial to ensure the future profitability of their company.
For more information: www.energymanager.eu
www.ihk-nuernberg.de
EUREM.NET fighting climate change
Being heavily reliant on fossil fuels, European industries are major contributors to carbon emissions. Energy consumption is inevitable and the road to energy efficiency is long and winding for a large portion of European businesses. But the savings are there to be made. Overall, it is estimated that about 25% of all energy used in the industry can be reduced in a cost-effective manner. Through the EUREM.NET project, we carried out a total of 346 energy efficiency assessments in 12 countries.
After an initial average estimate of 400 MWh in energy savings, we were happy to discover that the real savings would be as high as 2 000 MWh per participant. Moving forward, we reasonably expect about 80% of all energy plans to be implemented, which would lead to a cut of CO2 emissions by over 230 000 tonnes per year.
The role of energy managers is still a fairly new one, requiring a unique combination of technical, business and ‘soft’ skills. Clearly, energy managers are expected not only to know all the benefits of energy efficiency and be informed about renewable energy sources, but also to have an intimate knowledge of the cost structure and the key performance indicators of their company. Nowadays energy managers must also be familiar with the legislation in force so they must have a good understanding of EU law and its jargon. On top of that, they must be excellent project managers to put all this into practice. And we should not forget the importance of sharing best practices with other business partners, so energy managers must also be good social networkers. Of course, most of these skills can be learnt or improved: this is the very essence of the EUREM.NET training programme.
In every company there is potential for energy savings, the energy manager should have a flair for spotting it and making sure that the top management sees it as well. Experience shows that when it comes to energy savings, it is not only about big numbers. In fact, every euro cent counts – especially in difficult times such as the current economic downturn. Studies reveal that the average pay-back period of an energy saving plan is just over four years, so it will be up to the energy managers to make the case for energy-saving measures to their management boards.
They should help them realise that sound energy management is crucial to ensure the future profitability of their company.
For more information: www.energymanager.eu
www.ihk-nuernberg.de
