Energy-Efficient Municipalities

Saving energy with energy and climate protection management

70 percent of all CO₂emissions from the public sector come from cities and local communities. Each year, municipalities in Germany spend 3.4 billion euros on the supply of electricity and heat for their properties alone. Through measures for increasing energy efficiency, enormous savings potential can be tapped into, even when the funds available for investment and personnel capacity are limited. 

The key to increasing energy efficiency lies in the introduction of a municipal energy and climate protection management system. Here, individual properties for refurbishment play a secondary role in this context. Instead, what is needed are a systematic analysis of municipal energy consumption, the use of innovative financing models, and the implementation and subsequent monitoring of energy efficiency projects. This not only applies to the building sector, but to all municipal tasks and responsibilities: from street lighting to the funding of public transportation and the acquisition of more efficient devices. Many municipalities have already become actively involved in this respect, but a holistic approach is often missing. 

The aim of the project is to,  

• demonstrate to municipalities in Germany how energy and climate protection management can be used to systematically increase energy efficiency
• to implement energy and climate protection management in selected municipalities and carry out consulting programmes to encourage further municipalities to introduce the management system
• certify cities and towns as dena Energy-Efficient Municipalities that successfully apply the dena energy and climate protection management system
• further develop instruments to increase energy efficiency in all municipal spheres of activity, such as buildings, transportation, electricity use, and energy supply systems
• to get other municipalities to follow in their footsteps through public relations measures throughout Germany

www.energieeffiziente-kommune.de.