Good Governance in Energy Efficiency

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Energy efficiency is at the heart of the Union's efforts to tackle the problems of energy security and climate change. With the recent financial crisis and downturn in the European economy, the case for energy and resource efficiency has become even stronger. Increasing oil and gas prices make it essential to reduce Europe's dependence on primary energy sources and find alternative energy supplies as well as to exploit the existing ones as fully as possible. At the policy making level it is important to design and implement strategies and investments in energy efficiency (EE) with the intention of lowering the amount of unexploited energy and ultimately raising the standard of living and saving money. It is crucial therefore to find the most effective ways and methods ensuring less energy consumption. GovernEE intends to address this problem by capitalizing on past and current initiatives in the field of energy efficiency (EE) and the use of renewable energy sources (RES). Specifically the project will focus on the heating public buildings in general and historic buildings in particular, since the public and the communal sector are a major energy consumer and the bulk of energy loss derives from the inefficient heating systems of public buildings. The project does not focus directly on technological innovations or mere development of networks and exchange of experience. It approaches the problem from the point of view of good governance. By laying emphasis on improving decision-making and planning competences as well as strengthening policy-makers' responsibility (the key elements of good governance), sustainable development in the energy field through responsible energy-conscious policy-making can be achieved.

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