The results of the first stage of the competition under the "Local Development" Program has been announced
We already know the list of 54 municipalities, whose projects were selected for the second stage of recruitment from 213 submitted ones, under the "Local Development" Program, financed from EEA and Norwegian funds.
Among the qualified 54 municipalities were 4 cities-members of our Association: Ełk, Piastów, Jasło and Cieszyn. Congratulations!
Now they are starting the intensive work on the preparation of a complete project proposal (together with the Local Development Plan and the Institutional Development Plan) with comprehensive support from the experts of the Association of Polish Cities and the Institute of Urban and Regional Development.
The duration of this phase will depend on the pace of work of the Applicants and the course of cooperation with the abovementioned experts. It will take at least 6 months.
Real-time monitoring of energy consumption saves money!
Within the TOGETHER project our Association installed smart metering system in 9 pilot buildings located in municipalities of Besko, Raciechowice and Żyraków. The system measures real-time electricity and heat consumption and should not only help in optimising energy management (and thus reducing energy bills) but also give immediate feedback on the real effects of implemented energy-saving measures. And we can already see the first of them! One of the pilot buildings is the Town Hall in Besko, which has been experiencing problems with reactive power since the installation of central UPS (uninterruptible power supply). Such energy is not included in the energy consumption but is treated as an undesirable phenomenon and scrupulously measured by modern energy meters. In a bimonthly billing cycle the charges for reactive power only reached 500-800 PLN (approx. 120-190 EUR) depending on the season. Two companies undertook effort to compensate this power but with limited success as nobody could precisely indicate the times the phenomenon occurs and its intensity.
Bridging European and Local Climate Action - BEACON
To successfully implement the Paris Agreement and the European climate and energy targets for the year 2030 and beyond, climate action needs to be enhanced on all relevant levels of governance. National governments need to create effective policies and framework conditions. A crucial contribution to the achievement of the EU climate protection goals will be made by municipalities and local actors. These stakeholders can be pioneers and drivers of profound decarbonisation and social transformation processes as their actions have considerable potential for increasing energy efficiency and saving greenhouse gases. Schools and other educational institutions in particular can play a key role by reducing their own energy consumption but also educating future generations for a climate-friendly world.
Energy-saving tips for public buildings managers and users
Public buildings are used by many people: workers, service persons, visitors etc. Studies and common practice are unanimous in saying that user behaviour matters a lot when it comes to improving energy efficiency and reducing the building’s carbon footprint. Even the technical-only measures one can adopt (such as a building’s retrofitting) are more effective and less expensive when combined with educational and motivational activities, as well as better operation and maintenance of the new or modernised systems and equipment. In order to encourage more conscious use of energy, the consortium of the TOGETHER project, where our Association is a partner, prepared three sets of energy-saving tips addressed to three different users’ groups:
Invitation for Covenant Cities
Dear Energy Cities members,
Here is an opportunity you wouldn’t like to miss!
The Covenant of Mayors – Europe has launched the first Covenant Cities in the Spotlight call, and the awarded cities/towns will win a trip to the International Conference on Climate Change 2019 in Heidelberg, which happens to be held back to back with… your favourite network’s annual conference - yes, Energy Cities’.
This call is open to all cities and towns committed to the Covenant of Mayors - Europe.
We would be delighted to see one (or more) of our members win!
All information on this call is available here.
We wish you the best of luck!