The Deutsche Energie-Agentur (DENA) – the German Energy Agency – and the Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Agency launched a series of events in Bad Kreuznach today to help representatives of municipal administrations systematically develop and implement energy efficiency measures.

Particularly in times of restrictive public sector budgets, efficiency measures can help free up public funds. From saving heating costs in public buildings to efficient transportation concepts to electricity-saving street lighting, there are many possible methods. “Each year, German municipalities pay roughly € 3.4 billion to supply electricity and heating to their roughly 176,000 public buildings,” emphasises Ulrich Benterbusch, dena’s Managing Director. “The events bring municipal experts up to speed on the latest developments, helping them to exploit efficiency potential and save energy costs.”

The series of free events will continue until the end of 2016. It is modular and consists of a total of twelve dates. Sixteen municipalities, cities and administrative districts from Rhineland-Palatinate have confirmed that they will participate. Participants will learn about the process and tools in DENA’s energy and climate protection management system. The contents include suitable organisation structures, an energy and climate policy vision, a detailed analysis of the initial energy situation and energy saving measures to build on this. The advantage of this approach is its systematic process: This helps ensure that all relevant development areas such as buildings, electricity use, transportation and energy systems are incorporated equally, and all energy weaknesses can be discovered and improved.

DENA and the Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Agency also help the municipalities with practical implementation. “The Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Agency has competent experts in all regions, who can help and advise the municipal administrations reduce their energy consumption,” says Thomas Pensel, Managing Director of the Energy Agency.

A similar series of events by DENA for municipalities and cities in Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt has been successfully underway in Hanover since December 2014.

Anh Tuan