The Energy Efficiency Networks Campaign is an important part of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NAPE). The concept: Several companies in a region or industry voluntarily agree to form a network with the purpose of increasing their energy efficiency over a period of several years. The participating companies provide mutual support by systematically and purposefully sharing their experience and ideas without bureaucratic red tape. This way, not only do the members reduce their energy costs und CO2emissions, they also improve their international competitiveness.
The network process
Networks usually start with qualified advice on energy that will also include stock-taking of individual savings potential. Then the members define an individual, unbinding savings target that they would like to achieve during the term of the network, and then use the targets expressed by all companies to set a savings target for the network as a whole.
The members then start to share their experience on this basis: after agreeing on a term for the network, the energy experts from each of the companies meet regularly to discuss current topics and developments, possibly with the involvement of external specialists. If they like, the members also visit and tour the facilities of their other fellow members. These expert meetings create a basis for the companies to make reasoned decisions on investments to achieve energy savings.
Benefits for the members of the energy efficiency network
The plan is for 500 new energy efficiency networks to be established in Germany by the end of 2020. Participating companies benefit from their involvement by sustainably reducing their energy costs, creating transparency on their energy consumption, by continuing to strengthen in-house expertise, acquiring efficiency funding, exploiting synergies and not least by advocating energy efficiency. Moreover, membership in an energy efficiency network can be an immense help to larger companies (non-SME) when preparing for the mandatory energy audits that are held every four years.
Evaluations of existing networks show that, on average, network partners raise their energy efficiency more significantly than comparable companies that do not join a network. Companies participating in an energy efficiency network can noticeably reduce their energy costs in this way.
dena manages the office of the Energy Efficiency Networks Campaign
Since December 2015, dena has run the Energy Efficiency Networks Campaign office and is therefore in charge of providing technical and organisational support to the campaign. The tasks of the office include the development and distribution of information materials, as well as support for the campaign in the organisation and hosting of events. The office is also the contact point for companies interested in joining an energy efficiency network, as well as for the network sponsors. Public information campaigns to publicise the concept and objectives of the energy efficiency networks are also included in its remit.
