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The INTENSE project: Improving Energy Efficiency

in the Building Sector

Workshop: Sustainable Energy Action Plans in Latvia: Regional Cooperation,

Best Practices & Financing Options28 January 2011, Riga

Ingrida Bremere, INTENSE Coordinator, Baltijas Vides Forums

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Achieving energy efficiency at municipality...

Energy saving is not just about putting better insulation on the walls of a building, placing solar panels on its roof, etc.

– Our approach within INTENSE project:

The greatest savings can be achieved if energy efficiency plays the guiding role already in the planning phase, be it a new living quarter or retrofitting of a house

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The INTENSE project in a nutshell

INTENSE – Intelligent energy saving measures for municipal housing in Central and Eastern Europe

– addressing the complexity of holistic energy sound urban planning, and

– triggering comprehensive thinking about energy efficiency in 11 countries from Estonia until Croatia

Objective: To influence the legislation, technical matters, planning, and consumer behaviour

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A large consortium12 countries, 28 partners – multipliers, municipalities and project experts

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Benefits to municipalities in implementing international project INTENSE

Multiplier organisations and municipalities work together with support from expert organizations in Germany

Implement a rich set of actions to improve energy efficient construction in their region:

Exchange of good practices, adopt to CEE countries

Develop and test for evaluation of energy efficiency

Increase own capacities

Implement energy sound solutions in practice

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Good practices for energy efficient buildings

Focus on passive /near-zero energy house standard

Examples from all over Europe were collected to demonstrate to municipalities what can be achieved today and to inspire the minds of municipal planners, architects, and engineers for the future

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Evaluation of energy efficiencyA set of 16 criteria is developed together with a little tool for evaluation of newly planned and already built homes.

Evaluation on general planning aspects, technical options, and social-economic characteristics.

In this way INTENSE is also bringing the EPBD to local level.

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Increasing own capacities at municipalities

The legal background is assessed and local opportunities seized

Building stakeholders are introduced to best practice and how to avoid mistakes at a design and implementation level.

Quality control at both levels of a building process is a key to energy efficiency

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Energy sound solutions in practice

In own “mini-projects” municipalities develop energy strategies, public awareness raising plans or apply technical measures.

This altogether show different facettes of energy sound urban planning in practice.

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Lessons learned from INTENSE

A large consortium of partners in the project leads to a wide international network of stakeholders providing their expertise that is beneficial to the project implementation and results

Smaller municipalities are as capable as larger municipalities to design and implement energy efficiency measures

Energy efficiency of a building starts from the very first planning step towards the implementation

Best preparation at the planning phase by “soft” measures will bring to energy efficient investment at implementation phase

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Awareness of how to implement projects – All partners must have a common understanding of the project

goals and activities - working together

– Balance always activities and deliverables

– Balance smaller national and larger international events to transfer experience

– Target groups will appreciate practical examples and study visits

– Workshops and training courses are good for capacity building

– For larger international projects European dimension is bringing benefits for experience and knowledge exchange

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Thank you for your kind attention!

More information, background documents and event reports on

INTENSE are available on: www.intense-energy.eu

Contact:

Ingrida Bremere – Project CoordinatorBaltic Environmental Forum - LatviaAntonijas iela 3-8, LV-1010, Riga, LATVIATel. +371 67357561; Fax. +371 67507071ingrida.bremere@bef.lv www.bef.lv