Energy efficiency is one of the pillars of the European sustainability agenda that will help EU to achieve its energy transition and climate change objectives anchored in Article 8 of the EED. Energy efficiency not only allows companies to be more competitive economically, but also enables EU to proceed boldly towards the 2030 targets for energy efficiency (32.5% of improvement) and the ‘Fit for 55 Package’ under the European Green Deal.

SMEs have a high untapped energy saving potential which can be unlocked by overcoming structural, market and financial barriers such as a limited workforce, technical and financial capacity needed to carry out energy audits and the implantation of energy-efficient and cost-effective measures

Triple-A organized the webinar “Towards a decarbonized Europe: Increasing energy efficiency in SMEs for a clean energy transition” on October 19 from 9 to 10:30 (CEST), together with 7 related EU initiatives as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week extended programme.

This session provided SMEs and all relevant stakeholders with real practical examples and guidelines on how to enable the implementation of energy efficiency solutions to facilitate the energy transition. It presented available services, tools and policies that could unlock a considerable amount of energy/cost savings and assist in achieving emission targets, by sharing the actions, experiences and outcomes of the H2020 funded projects DEESME, E2DRIVER, ICCEE, INNOVEAS, SMEmPower Efficiency, SPEEDIER, Triple-A.

This session focused on the analysis of three key aspects of energy efficiency improvements in SMEs around Europe: 
1.    Barriers and opportunities in the implementation of energy efficiency solutions 
2.    Available best practices and case studies, such as trainings, tools, services etc.
3.    Current policies affecting the implementation of energy efficiency measures and their potential improvements in the upcoming years.

Main target groups are SMEs, representing 99% of European companies, as well as relevant stakeholders involved in the energy transition, such as policy makers, financial institutions, ESCOs, academia/research institutions, energy professionals and experts.

The format included short presentations of the projects’ outcomes focusing on SMEs, interactive activities and a final roundtable open to questions related to the session topics that were presented. Key questions were set and discussions took places on the presented topics and the roadmap to the efficient implementation of the proposed measures, globally in the SMEs, beyond the targets set by the participating projects.

Download the Agenda here.

Download the presentations of the event:

Welcome and challenges presentation, by Erudino Llano (Training expert at CIRCE foundation. Project Coordinator of E2DRIVER)

Using stakeholder consultation approaches for increasing Energy Efficiency in SMEs,  by Ivana Rogulj (Climate and Energy Expert at IEECP. Project coordinator of DEESME and representing ICCEE)

How to overcome the implementation barriers with communication, easy-to-manage and ready-to-use tools, best practices and trainings and moreby Mara Corbella (European Projects coordinator at IIPLE. Project Coordinator of INNOVEAS).

How policies can drive the uptake of energy efficiency in SMEs, by Padraig Lyons (Head of Group IERC, Project Coordinator of SPEEDIER)