The Public Sector’s Energy Efficiency Plan

The public sector’s energy efficiency plan and the instructions and tools for its implementation have been aimed primarily at the public sector, but the instructions may prove useful to others as well.

Municipalities and cities that have signed the Energy Efficiency Agreement for Municipalities can refer to the instructions and tools when they are drawing up the action plan required by the energy efficiency agreement.

Towards systematic energy management

The energy efficiency plan aims to steer an organisation towards systematic energy management.

The aspects of energy efficiency are:

• properties’ energy use (heating, electricity, water);
• device electricity;
• mobility (work-related, official and business travel); and
• other energy use (such as machinery).

At various stages of the plan, members of the organisation think about how and with which measures to improve energy efficiency. Energy efficiency plans must be included in management systems, and it would be good idea to make it compatible with any other systems in use (such as a Green Office or the organisation’s own climate and energy programme).

Workshops

The organisation’s own workshops – in which the organisation’s members investigate functional goals and means to improve energy efficiency – play a key role in the plan’s preparation.

Workshops can be implemented with regard to all aspects of energy efficiency. It is advisable to organise at least workshops concerned with the energy efficiency of properties and device electricity and its steering. Procurements and communication are an integral part of all workshops.

Using the template for the table of contents and on the basis of memos drawn up in the workshops, the organisation can draw up its own, comprehensive energy efficiency plan.

The content of an energy efficiency plan:

1. Description of present situation: energy use and procurement, policies and central operators, completed measures, monitoring, and any current energy management goals.
2. New energy conservation goals and the inclusion of the principles of continuous improvement.
3. The identification and prioritisation of energy conservation measures, the naming of responsible parties and the assessment of impact on the basis of source data and interviews and, in expert workshops, per topic, and the monitoring of activities.

Communication and training play an essential role in the achievement of the goals set in the plan, the implementation of measures and the presentation of results. Energy efficiency will become familiar to the organisation’s staff, customers and partners. A monitoring group and annual reviews by the management will ensure the work’s continuity.