Efficient and economic energy usage

Growing demand for energy has led to increasing prices. To expand the range of fossil fuels by alternative energy sources will take time and money. Improving energy efficiency, on the other hand, is a faster and cost-efficient solution.

Over the past years, numerous processes towards a more efficient usage of energy have been initiated on a national, European and international level. The German Federal Republic's Energy Concept positions energy efficiency as a supporting pillar in the transition to an age of renewable energy by 2050. The EU has adopted the European Energy Efficiency Directive, and the international standard for energy management systems ISO 50001 was introduced. The importance of an efficient usage of energy is also increasingly recognised in developing and emerging economies. In many countries, not only are populations growing, but so too are economies, prompting governments to develop their own energy efficiency strategies.

Yet in addition to legal proposals and the implementation of energy saving measures in businesses, further stakeholders in society are also required in order to establish a sustainable and efficient usage of energy. With its regional, national and international projects in the areas of energy management and energy efficiency, adelphi is actively involved in developing sustainable and resource-efficient economies und societies. adelphi's activities range from capacity building measures, energy analyses and business consulting, all the way to the implementation of energy management systems and application-orientated research.

The guidelines developed by adelphi on the practical introduction of energy management systems in accordance with ISO 50001 have become established as the standard reference tool in German businesses, and are available free of charge from the websites of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The tool is available both in German and English, and an Arabic version is planned.

In implementing energy management systems, adelphi places an emphasis on a seamless integration with the established management processes of the individual business. As energy-efficiency experts in the KfW programme "Energy Consulting in SMEs", the consultancy also carries out professional energy analyses. In addition, adelphi is also the key partner for the German hotel and catering industry when it comes to increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy costs. The "Hotel and Catering Energy Campaign", which the think-tank implemented on behalf of the German Hotel and Catering Association (DEHOGA), is used regularly by over 5,500 hotels and restaurants. In its research projects for the BMU and UBA, adelphi also contributes to the development of new consultancy approaches and evaluation mechanisms, e.g. with the benchmarking of energy efficiency, a web-based tool which helps identifying potential to save energy.

Achieving economic growth that is independent of energy consumption is a major challenge for emerging countries in particular. Financing for energy efficiency measures is often the greatest obstacle. In India, adelphi is supporting the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in establishing a backstop facility amounting to 50 million euros so that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are able to invest in energy efficiency measures.

There is a broad range of possibilities to save energy and it has become difficult to keep an overview of them all. For this reason, target groups and stakeholders in society must be better informed and educated. adelphi therefore offers numerous capacity building measures, for example to enable educational institutions in the Maghreb to train qualified energy consultants. As part of the "Regional Energy Efficiency Project", adelphi is framing the South-South dialogue on energy efficiency in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Here we enable the important institutions to develop and implement demand-orientated consultancy and training services in the area of energy efficiency. adelphi also continues to support the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in organising and hosting the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) workshop series on the subject of "Financing Energy Efficiency in Buildings", which contributes to global efforts towards a more efficient usage of the key resource, energy.