Energy management competition for local authorities for uptake and enhance of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (COMPETE4SECAP)

The Compete4SECAP project (C4S) is aimed at helping local authorities (LA) put their existing Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) into action and helped facilitate the upgrade of SEAPs into Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs). C4S were designed to deliver a systematic approach to energy savings in LA using standardised energy management systems (EMS) according to ISO 50001 or the European Energy Award with dedicated online monitoring tools and energy-saving competitions, including peer-to-peer learning and exchange. EMS and competitions, when combined, can trigger significant benefits by creating innovative and efficient ways for the involvement of LA. Trained and engaged municipal employees are able to better implement energy efficiency projects. An EMS helps obtain reliable data for informed decisions and further helps monitor and evaluate implemented projects. The use of renewable energy and integration of climate adaptation is also facilitated through EMS. Energy competitions in municipal buildings are one of the measures that a municipality can take to motivate employees to rethink their role in saving energy not only at home but also at work. The C4S developed the handbook for the energy competition teams, including solutions, tips and advice on how to get colleagues involved in competitions and how municipalities can organize such competitions. The C4S also developed an online tool for monitoring energy use and a wide range of advisory materials. More than 30 local authorities and their employees (over 100 buildings) teamed up to save energy in 2019 with an energy-saving competition.