ESB Customer Supply leads the way in Energy Efficiency promotion
ESB Customer Supply was held up as a shining example of energy efficiency promotion at Europe's largest green energy conference - World Sustainable Energy - being held in Wels Upper Austria (April 1-3) and attended by 800 participants from over 80 countries.
The ESB Customer Supply campaign to promote more efficient lighting and to create greater customer awareness of energy efficiency was one of two examples given by John Snowcroft, head of EURELECTRIC, the international union of the electricity industry of key actions. This led to extensive savings in greenhouse gas emissions, which helped countries in their drives to meet EU and Kyoto GG reduction targets.
In the ESB's case the promotional campaign resulted in a saving of 144.4Kilotons of CO2 as well as a reduction of 177.GWh of electric power, and was far and away the most cost effective project in Europe to reduce CO2. The second example was a fuel switch in the Netherlands from coal to biomass, which reduced emissions by 692KtCO2.
Attendees at the World Sustainable Energy Days 2006 conference included European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, Irish MEP Avril Doyle, as well as industry, EU, public service, local authorities and academic institutions.
The conference covered all aspects of sustainable energy production and use, covering energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport. Mr Shawcross explained that EURELECTRIC's role in energy efficiency is to support key projects among its membership in generation, end use, transmission and distribution.
The EURELECTRIC energy efficiency programme covers a scenario in which "with project" is measured against "without project." The results produce an estimate of GHG emissions. In the case of ESB Customer Supply the energy saving of the campaign (GWh) is converted to CO2 by a table of CO2/GWh.
The success of each project is subject to industry peer review and validated. Mr Shawcross told the conference and this was the most effective way of delivering quantifiable results.
He also stated that EURELECTRIC's "Energy Wisdom" programme has been accepted by the European Commission to be part of the Sustainable Energy Europe campaign 2005-2008. The role of electricity industry union to promote sustainable energy has also been recognised as a "campaign associate" by the EC.
