Motivating local home-owners to energy
retrofitting as examples on Urban Climate
Governance in Danish Municipalities
Jesper Ole Jensen
Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University
Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference 2013,
Copenhagen 11-13 June 2013
Background
• Energy savings in existing buildings are necessary to
reach climate goals
• Municipalities have increasingly focus on reducing
energy use in households
• Several municipal initiatives for motivating home-owners
for energy retrofitting have been formulated
Research questions
• What is the status for the municipal initiatives towards
home-owners?
• What types of institutional set-up’s are being used?
• What are the experiences; are the initiatives towards
local home-oweners able to deliver results in term of
energy savings, and how can other municipalities learn
from this?
Modes of Urban Climate Governance
• Self-governing, where the municipality acts as a consumer, and initiates climate
goals on own buildings, as for instance energy optimisation of schools and
administration buildings, establish networks with other municipalities, formulate green
procurement polities etc.
• Governing through enabling, where the municipality acts as a facilitator for
establishing collaboration and networks between the municipality, local companies
and institutions, citizens, industries etc.
• Governing through provision, where the municipality acts as a provider of energy,
transport, waste, water etc., and thereby has an excellent position to formulate and
steer climate policies.
• Governing through authority, where the municipality act as a regulator, exploiting its
formal authorities in for instance by urban planning, land zone administration,
building permissions etc.
Source: Alber & Kern (2009); Bulkeley et al (2009)
Modes of Urban Climate Governance
• Self-governing, where the municipality acts as a consumer, and initiates climate
goals on own buildings, as for instance energy optimisation of schools and
administration buildings, establish networks with other municipalities, formulate green
procurement polities etc.
• Governing through enabling, where the municipality acts as a facilitator for
establishing collaboration and networks between the municipality, local companies
and institutions, citizens, industries etc.
• Governing through provision, where the municipality acts as a provider of energy,
transport, waste, water etc., and thereby has an excellent position to formulate and
steer climate policies.
• Governing through authority, where the municipality act as a regulator, exploiting its
formal authorities in for instance by urban planning, land zone administration,
building permissions etc.
Source: Alber & Kern (2009); Bulkeley et al (2009)
Methodology
• Survey consisting of interviews with 22 municipalities on
their initiatives towards local home-owners
• Literature- and document studies
• Case studies of “five spear-head” initiatives towards
local home-owners
Institutional set-up to reach home-owners
Education
institutions
SME’s
Bank
Municipality
Energy
consultant
Energy
supplier
Standard Value Cathalogue
National
Energy
Agency
Energy City, Frederikshavn
• Raising awareness amongst homeowners on energy retrofitting
• Collaboration with local energy
supplier to finance an energy
consultant
• Re-education of local craftsmen and
SME’s on energy issues
• Convincing local banks to finance
home-owners energy retrofitting
Five spearhead initiatives
Collaboration partners
Background and ambitions
Targets
Types of improvements
Energy City, Frederikshavn.
Start 2011
The municipality of
Frederikshavn, local energy
supplier, “Energy Proffs”
Pursue climate goals, create
local jobs, train local SME’s,
support settlement strategy
Single family houses
Insulation of building shell
(25%), also conversion to
new types of supply (district
heating, PV’s, heat pumps)
ESCO-light, Middelfart
1.1.2012-31.12.2012
The municipality of
Middelfart, four local energy
suppliers, network for “Grøn
Erhvervsvækst”, National
Knowledge center for Energy
savings
The Agenda Center for
Østerbro, local energy
supplier, Teknologisk Institut
and local SME’s
Establishing “Green growth”, Single family houses
creating local jobs, upgrading
skills amongst local SME’s
Primary insulation of
building shell, limited
improvements of regulation,
boilers etc.
Part of larger campaign in
2010 to save 10 tons of CO2,
and to create innovative
solutions to climate changes
Apartment buildings: Private
co-ops, owner-occupied
apartments, private rented
accommodation
“Houseowner in focus”,
Municipality of RingkøbingSkjern.
2011-2012
Municipality of RingkøbingSkjern and Scanenergi
(energy consultant)
Political ambition to become
self-sufficient with energy by
2020
Single family houses
Technical insulation, energy
management, adjustment of
boilers, limited
improvements of building
shell
Improvements with payback
time < 10 years, only limited
improvements on building
shell
Project Zero, Sønderborg.
Start: Ultimo 2010
Project Zero fund,
Futura South (Regional think
tank), Syd-energi, Danfoss,
Sønderborg Municipality,
DONG Energy, Nordea Fund
Creating local growth Pursue
in the region, based on
climate neutral development.
Create local jobs, upgrading
skills amongst local SME’s
Single family houses
2100.nu, Copehagen
May 2010-May 2011
N.A
ESCO-light, Middelfart
Education
institutions
SME’s
Bank
Municipality
Energy
consultant
Energy
suppliers
Standard Value Catalogue
EA
2100.nu, Copenhagen
Municipality
Agenda
21-center
Energy
consultant
Energy
supplier
Standard Value Catalogue
EA
Houseowner in focus”, Ringkøbing-Skjern
SME’s
Municipality
Energy
consultant
Energy
supplier
Standard Value Catalogue
EA
Reported energy savings
Several uncertainties of documentation: DIY, no submitting of
documentation, behavioural effects, initiatives were completed
anyway (additionality) etc.
Results
• Challenge to make energy retrofitting a business case
for energy suppliers – more efficient alternatives under
consideration
• Municipal initiaitives (Urban Climate Governance)
supports business case
• Initiatives are important for a number of other reasons
than CO2-reductions – ”secondary effects” supports
municipal policies
Saving obligations for energy suppliers