Energy Efficiency - ChangeBest

ChangeBest - Energy Efficiency Services

Summary

A main objective of the Energy Service directive [ESD, 2006] is to stimulate the market for energy services and for the delivery of other energy efficiency improvement measures to final consumers. In order to achieve this objective, the ESD gives a special role to energy distributors, distribution system operators and retail energy sales companies. On the other hand, there are different types of "pure" energy service companies (ESCOs) in the market ready to expand their business in the field of energy efficiency services (EES).
Against this background, it is important to know, how and to which extent the EES market could be further developed, what are appropriate business strategies and promising services not only for “advanced” companies but also for “beginners”, what is a policy framework suitable to stimulate market development and to overcome existing barriers, and which role energy companies developing towards sustainable ESCOs could play. 

To summarize, the main objectives of ChangeBest are:

• to assist energy companies and ESCOs in entering the market for EES,
• to contribute to the development of the EES market as part of ESD implementation,
• to demonstrate good practice in implementing the ESD.

And in order to achieve the objectives specified, the project work will consist of:

• empirical analysis of the EES market and the respective economic and policy framework in the course of the implementation of the ESD,
• exchange of experiences, national workshops and a European conference,
• a large bundle of promising EES business cases and strategies implemented in “field tests”,
• communication and dissemination activities, and induced further action and networking by energy (service) companies.

Role for ECN Policy Studies

The main tasks for ECN Policy Studies are to analyse:

• the market for Energy Efficiency Services in the Netherlands
• the positive or negative effects of policy measures on the provision of Energy Efficiency Services in most EU countries

Partners

• Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy (leader of the project)
• CENERGIE, covering the EES market in Flanders
• 19 organisations from 17 countries

Status

The project is ongoing, started July 2009 and will be finalized in 2012.

More information

• Dutch-Flemish workshop of ChangeBest on Energy Efficiency Services
  Date: January 11th, 2011
  Location: Tilburg

Please find below the ChangeBest newsletters:

• ChangeBest newsletter 2 
• ChangeBest newsletter 3 (click here for the Dutch version)
• ChangeBest newsletter 4
• ChangeBest newsletter 5

For more information please contact Piet Boonekamp or Paul Vethman or visit the website of the ChangeBest project.