February 12, 2009: The Exbess toolkit has been validated!
During the EU Sustainable Energy Week (9 - 13 February 2009) our ExBESS toolkit has been validated by:
- Rob Boeree (Director Energy and Climate SenterNovem) as representative of the European Network of Energy Agencies (EnR)
- Guido Lena on behalf of the European SME umbrella organisation (UEAPME) and
- Joost van Iersel on behalf of the EU Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (EESC)
They declared at 12th February 2009 in Brussels that the toolkits of EU LTA Uptake and ExBESS are valuable instruments to:
- set up Long Term and or Voluntary Agreements between relevant parties aimed at energy efficiency improvement, CO2 reduction and or cost reduction
- assist industrial (SME) sectors and or individual (SME) companies in implementing energy management;
- make international energy efficiency benchmarking accessible to all kinds of industrial sectors.
During the discussion, led by Claudio Cappellini (representative of the EU Economic and Social Affairs Committee), it became clear that support and involvement of companies, public authorities and energy agencies remain relevant for continuous improvement and use of the LTA toolkits. The declaration is therefore an important step forward.
Contact:
Contact Miett Tajthy (Coordinator of Expanding BESS) or Herman Gels (Coordinator of LTA Uptake) for more information.
Download the signed declaration on the two toolkits.
Behind: Guido Lena. Second row from left to right: Joost van Iersel, Rob Boeree, Paul Waide, Patric Naghten.
Front from left to right: Herman Gels, Miett Tajthy, Claudio Cappellini.
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October 10, 2007: Kick-off of the exBESS project.
The follow up project exBESS (extension of BESS) has started in September 2007. On October 9th and 10th 2007 a kick off meeting has taken place in Utrecht, Netherlands.
The BESS project (Benchmarking and Energy management Schemes in SMEs
2005–2007), focusing on food & drink industries has shown promising results in 60 pilot companies. Now the EC Directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services (EESD) has set an ambitious target (9% energy saving in 8 years), BESS will be firmly extended to other member states, other industrial SME sectors and to Energy Services Companies (ESCOs).
The aim of ExBESS is to extend BESS with:
- 8 additional member states and candidate states participating, in total 19
- new industrial SME sectors (e.g.. more food & drink sectors, textile/carpet and machinery)
- energy management and benchmarking in at least 80 additional pilot companies
- introduction financial mechanisms to boost energy efficiency investments (involvement of Energy Service Companies, ESCOs)
- improvement E-learning scheme (user friendliness and multi language upload functions)
ExBESS will recruit additional associations, pilot companies and ESCOs, extend and adapt to improved BESS tools and include more national SME monitoring data to the BESS benchmarking scheme. This results in a user-friendly SME energy management and benchmarking scheme, tested and in operation in 19 EU (member) states.
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November 9, 2006: BESS promoted at EU Energy forum for SMEs in Rimini.
The second meeting of the Energy forum for SMEs, funded by the Intelligent Energy for Europe programme of the EU took place in Rimini, Italy at November 9 and 10 in 2006. At the same time and place, the Ecomondo fair on sustainable development was held (45 thousand visitors).
At the energy forum, mainly Italian and European Energy institutes, SME associations and individual companies discussed best practices and optimal techniques to promote energy efficiency and distributed generation using renewable resources.
Jobert Winkel of the Dutch agency SenterNovem was invited to present the first results of the pilot phase of the BESS project. The presentation was received as very positive, since it appeared one of the few really practical examples on the forum, on how to assist SMEs in implementing energy efficiency measures. Contact has been made with most of the presenters of the forum and a couple of initiatives were discussed for further cooperation in a follow up of BESS. At the presenter’s common stand at the Ecomondo fair, around 50 BESS posters have been distributed to interested visitors.
(BESS was also presented at the first meeting of the Energy forum for SMEs in Brussels, on May 10, 2006.)
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April 27, 2006: Kick-off meeting for pilot companies in Lithuania.
The main aims and tasks of the BESS project were presented for all representatives
of Lithuanian pilot companies at the kick-off BESS project workshop, which was
held at the Lithuanian Energy Institute in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The representative of the Lithuanian Energy Agency (leader of NPKG) explained
the importance of energy management in industry,, the fundamentals of energy
management and the Energy Management Guide. The advantages of Energy Management,
a description of BESS Energy Management Implementation Model and guidance of Energy
Use Audit for industrial Companies were presented. Furthermore, existing benchmarks
and Specific energy consumption were discussed. The Cycle Plan-Do-Check-Act was
explained. The organization of the E-learning website was presented and the
principles of “log-in” for enterprises were explained. Discussions about tasks,
responsibilities and expected results took place amongst all responsible persons.
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April 6, 2006: Kick-off meeting for pilot companies in Ireland.
The BESS project in Ireland kicked off in earnest at the beginning of April.
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the Irish Energy Agency, ran a workshop focusing
on energy efficiency in the Food and Drink Sector which caused great interest and
had a very large turnout. Along with giving delegates an overview of the benefits
and procedures of Energy Management, the day also focused on Refrigeration, Hot
Water and Steam Systems, and Heat Recovery, all areas which present major opportunities
for energy savings. The BESS project was also a focus for the day with delegates
showing great interest in the idea of benchmarking against their European counterparts.
If you are interested in the BESS approach, and would like to receive more information,
please contact your national contact person. Details can be found in
the contact BESS section of this website.
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March 31, 2006: BESS pilot programme has started.
Today, the BESS pilot programme has started with phase I.
During phase I, several parts of the dartboard, which is the main interface of the BESS
E-learning scheme, are available. These includes the bulls eye of the dartboard (which
is also accessible by the general public) and a part of the middle ring and the outer
ring (to be accessible only by the pilot SMEs).
To give an impression of the tools that are available for use, the companies can:
- learn about the energy management implementation model;
- do the business case (data collection and first estimates of savings and financial
benefits);
- do the self assessment (assess the current state of energy management);
- draw up a committment statement (using an example of a declaration of management);
- start thinking about the organisation (energy team; energy co-coordinator);
The following phase, PHASE II, concerns the Internal Organisation, the Audit and the Initial
Benchmarking. The complete pilot programme consists of four phases, and phase IV is scheduled
to end in November of this year.
If you are interested in the BESS approach, and would like to receive more information,
please contact your national contact person. Details can be found in the
contact BESS section of this website.
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October 6, 2005: Kick-off meeting for pilot companies in Spain.
With the aim of making the BESS project well-known, a kick off meeting
was held at IDAE’s headquarters in Madrid. The meeting was led by IDAE,
and counted with the participation of representatives from the SMEs
recruited in the dairy sector, together with a relevant member of the
National Dairy Association (FENIL). Although not all the SMEs could attend,
all of them showed a good predisposition to collaborate. Prior to the meeting,
the role played by FENIL was very useful when recruiting companies interested
in participating in the pilot phase. By then, the number of companies amounted
to seven. This number could increase as a result of new possible
incorporations provided by an external consultant in charge of the energy
audits.
During the meeting the objectives aimed by the BESS project were highlighted
and the benefits derived from the involvement of the SMEs, without either costs
or time-consumption on their side. The SMEs showed a high interest in improving
their costs balances through the savings obtained as a consequence of an
improvement in their energy efficiency, facilitated by the results of the energy
audits to be developed in the pilot phase.
In this sense, the experience and role played by IDAE in energy policy matters
linked to both the improvement of energy efficiency and the development of renewable
energy was well appreciated. In this field, it’s worth mentioning the elaboration of
the Spanish Energy Efficiency Strategy 2004 – 2010 , with the target to reduce the
energy intensity by 2010. With this aim financial resources will be available and
will be addressed to different energy consuming sectors, like industry, to carry
out energy audits. The SMEs within the Dairy sector could be among the potential
beneficiaries of the aforementioned measures. So, this can be an additional stimulus
for them to participate in the BESS project.
It was also necessary to assure the confidentiality of the data submitted under
the elaboration of a kind of agreement. This point has already been solved through
the contract with the consulting company. The procedure to choose the consulting
company was followed in coherence with the article II.9 of the EIE Grant Agreement
Model. The final decision was adopted taking into account not only the best offer
in terms of money, but also the wide experience of the consulting company, as it
has already demonstrated in different occasions and its involvement in studies
developed within the framework of the Spanish Energy Efficiency Strategy 2004 – 2010.
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October 6, 2005: Kick-off Meeting with dairies in Austria.
The Austrian national pilot coordination group (NPCG) meeting took place on 6th of
October 2005 in the premises of the Austrian Energy Agency. Representatives from
six dairies and two dairy associations attended the meeting. The role of the chamber
of commerce food association is to comment communication papers and executive reports
for BESS and act as a possible future partner for extending Benchmarking to other
sectors. This association also signed the letter of interest for BESS. The role of
the cooperative association, where most Austrian dairies are a member, is to support
the recruiting procedure and to inform pilot companies and other dairies about BESS.
The NPCG leader Petra Lackner from the Austrian Energy Agency welcomed the participants
and introduced the BESS project. She gave an overview of the support possibilities pilot
companies will get from the NPCG and introduces the tools and the website. The participant
also got a first impression of the planned international benchmarking system.
For raising the interest in energy management representatives from the Austrian energy
consumer’s association, which is sub-contractor for supporting the pilot companies, gave an
insight in practical advantages and experiences of companies with energy management.
In Austria the BESS project is linked with the national project
klima aktiv energy
efficient enterprises and the EU project
Motor Challenge Programme. Additionally to the BESS energy management implementation
and benchmarking the pilot companies get information and support within these projects
e.g. about efficient chillers, pumps and ventilators.
At the end of the one-day workshop the benchmarking system and expectations of the
dairies have been discussed. The result of this discussion was:
- Companies need to be “leaded” through the whole pilot phase.
- Companies want to choose the “dimension of help” and level of
energy management they are going to implement.
- Company data has to be handled anonymously.
Arguments for companies to be a pilot company are:
- it is an opportunity to be one of the first companies that participate on the international benchmarking
- it is an opportunity to get all the help through the implementation phase (= cost saving)
If you are interested in the BESS approach, and would like to receive more information,
please contact your national contact person. Details can be found in the
contact BESS section of this website.
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