Municipal Network for Energy Efficiency

The Austrian Energy Agency (E.V.A.) has developed a manual (10 pages, July 2001) supporting municipalities in initiating and implementing energy accounting. It analyses the process step by step: procedures are discusses, obstacles identified and possible solutions proposed.

Energy accounting - Key-factors for the successful implementation

Energy accounting is an important tool for municipalities to monitor and to assess the energy demand and energy costs of its buildings and energy-consuming facilities: it offers valuable data for the rating and planning of energy retrofits or other energy management measures and is therefore an important basis to save both energy and costs. Hence, energy accounting should invariably be a part of modern management and controlling in larger municipalities.

The manual supports municipalities in initiating and implementing energy accounting. The implementation phase is analyzed step by step from idea to realization: procedures are discussed, obstacles identified and possible solutions proposed. In addition, theoretical approaches are supported by practical examples from Austrian municipalities. The report is completed with contact addresses and further reading, which are helpful for the successful implementation of energy accounting.

Key-factors for the successful implementation of energy accounting.

• One or more highly committed persons within the municipality as driving force and coordinating person are invaluable for the success of energy-accounting.
• Every single person involved in energy accounting should be well-informed about targets and benefits of energy accounting.
• A basic political (or high level) commitment for the implementation of energy-accounting will ease the cross-department work and communication.
• The implementation of energy-accounting and energy book-keeping will demand certain financial and personal resources. The efforts for the running process will be comparable low.
• It is of advantage for the collecting of master data, the evaluation of results as well as the selection of appropriate measures to have skilled staff or external experts available.
• Benchmarking of different objects inside or outside a municipality is only possible and sensible with an accurate and standardized collecting-method of master data.
• Report the results of the evaluation and explanations including proposals for improving measures to the responsible departments and decision makers regularly.
• Communicate success stories originating in energy accounting.

Energy accounting has an obvious relation to accounting at a company's level. Like accounting and controlling have the function to balance and monitor the flow of money, energy accounting's aim is to balance and monitor the flow of energy and related costs continuously.

Energy accounting by itself does not reduce energy demand or costs. But it is the basis to identify weaknesses and to select and prioritize appropriate measures for the improvement of the energy system. It has been shown that energy accounting can raise the awareness of responsible persons for energy demand of certain uses. This awareness can by itself result in the reduction of energy demand (sometimes with very little or even without any investments).Reduced energy demand - if the measures are carefully planned and implemented - does not only reduce costs, it can also result in positive environmental effects (e.g. reduction of emissions).Experiences with municipal energy accounting show that efforts and costs are low in relation to the benefits.

Implementation of energy accounting

Phase 1: Starting phase

For the successful implementation and operation of energy accounting it is of advantage to have at least one person within the administration, who is responsible and feels committed to energy accounting.
The initiative does not necessarily have to come from one person inside the administration but can also come from outside (eg. energy agencies, consultants etc.).
The general benefits of energy accounting have to be obvious to all responsible decision makers and involved staff. Every single person involved in the operation of energy accounting has to be informed about aims and tasks as well as the individual benefits for her work.
The commitment should be on a possibly broad basis; e.g. by a municipal council's decision.

Phase 2: Implementing phase

The financial and personal resources for the implementation as well as for the operation of energy accounting have to be guaranteed. After a decision for an appropriate software tool was made, the master data (size of buildings, heating systems, classification of buildings etc.) has to be collected and fed into the database. The workflow and responsible persons for every operational task have to be determined in advance. By using the energy demand of the last years (which can be found on energy bills), you can immediately start with the first evaluation and continue with fine analysis, planning and implementation of improvement measures.If you have to start with just a few buildings (objects), select those with the biggest size or where the type of utilization or the state of a building is indicating high energy demand or costs.

Phase 3: Operation phase

Besides a regular collection of energy demand data you have to secure for a continuous benefit of energy accounting that all involved persons as well as decision makers will be informed about results of the evaluation and conclusions regularly. Different stakeholders might request different forms of reports.
Success stories should be communicated within the administration as well as to the public. Try to individualize the benefits of energy accounting for all involved people or departments.
Data from energy accounting can be very useful for the planning and evaluation of improvement measures.

For more information, please contact Michael Stenitzer.