GOOD PRACTICE TEMPLATE

Project-title: Effi Spar

Name of the organisation: EnerMaTec GmbH

Status of the organisation: GmbH, private business

Address: Bohlweg 8, 38100 Braunschweig

Contact person: Dr. Werner NeumannPhone: +49 (0)531 / 28859983 Fax: +49 (0)531 / 28859989E-mail: w.neumann(at)enermatec.deWeb site : www.enermatec.de

Interest area

Public SectorX Private Sector Large Industrial Buildings Solar Plants District Heating Other

Target Audience

Citizens HouseholdsX Property owners Policymakers Local and regional authorities Energy service company (ESCO’s) Architects and engineers Other

BACKGROUNDEffi Spar is a service to homeowners who are willing to improve the energy efficiency of their house. It is directed at citizens within the region of Braunschweig. The idea is to provide customers with an individually coordinated concept including all aspects of modernisation and thereby enabling them to save money through reduced heating costs.

OBJECTIVESThe aim of Effi Spar is to reduce the amount of energy used and CO2 emissions produced for heating privately owned buildings. The objectives toward this aim are to realise energy efficiency potentials of individual buildings and to increase the share of renewable energies used to heat houses. The strategies to achieve these objectives are enabling the customers to save money through reduced heating costs and improving the room climate and overall quality of living. An additional positive effect is the stimulation of the local economy, since in most cases local craftsmen will get the job to do it.

PROCESSWith Effi Spar, EnerMaTec follows a wholistic approach providing the customer with one central contact person for the complete project. Reduction of the information deficit of the owner and starting with a high quality energy consultation are crucial parts of the process. This ensures that the homeowner is supported through every step of the process starting from determining which changes are most effective, recommending skilled craftsmen and overseeing construction.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND PARTNERSEffi Spar is financed by the customers who are billed a fixed share of construction costs. An important part for credibility is the neutrality and no hidden sponsoring. Partners of the project is the regional chamber of crafts, one of the regional technical colleges, some financial institutes and some others. To have partners from the public sector increases the reputation of the project a lot.

RESULTSSo far Effi Spar has generated considerable interest in various sectors. Currently, plans for implementation of different measures are being discussed with a demonstrating customer. A final evaluation including quantitative figures is not yet possible. A final conclusion should be drawn after a several months or perhaps one year into the project when a few objects have been completed.

LESSONS LEARNED AND REPEATABILTYIt has repeatedly become apparent that Effi Spar is a unique product which has been awaited by many. Some of the difficulties during the process of creating Effi Spar were getting all the right people involved, convincing everyone of the name and coordinating the marketing activities. Through persistent work and and patience it was possible to solve all these problems in the end. This type of project would probably make even more sense in southern

European countries with a warm climate where heating costs are added by cooling costs for AC in summer. In most countries which provide the necessary prerequisites, such as a strong network of qualified craftsman businesses and a suitable local or regional residential structure, a project like Effi Spar could be successful.

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