Act Now

Valuable tools developed

Aimed at increasing energy efficiency in municipalities, the project introduced a new approach for assessment and customisation of existing capacities in energy management. By analysing commitment and management, energy planning, implementation, available resources, infrastructure and home-owner segment, the municipalities got a better understanding of concrete gaps. Once completed, the self-assessment tool suggests what aspects in energy management and capacity building should be improved, for instance in policy, communications, human resources, monitoring or documentation.

Furthermore, a learning platform on energy efficiency in the building stock developed by the project, provided municipalities with the needed tools in enhancing capacity building. With hands-on guidance on establishing working groups and setting up the process, the platform enabled to ensure a holistic approach to gathering, accessing and applying information to tackle concrete gaps. The platform collected all the knowledge the project has developed and tested in participating municipalities. Furthermore, to inform other municipalities about the collected knowledge the partners arranged several national and reginal workshops for municipalities in nine countries across the Baltic Sea region.

Municipalities tested the new approach

Nine municipalities participating in the project, Bremerhaven (Germany), Elva (Estonia), Gdynia (Poland), Gulbene (Latvia), Kaliningrad (Russia), Mönsterås (Sweden), Sievi and Ylivieska sub-region (Finland), Šilutė (Lithuania), and Sonderborg (Denmark) succeeded in setting up local energy efficiency groups (LEEG) by involving representatives of municipalities, public organisations like schools, transport agencies as well as businesses, home owners and residents. The LEEGs enabled to coordinate and streamline knowledge scattered across different municipal departments and other organisations.

Thanks to the project, the participating municipalities started the revision of their sustainable energy action plans by including the climate dimension. In some cases, the LEEGs were expanded by involving political representatives and setting energy efficiency on the political agenda.

With EUR 3.4 million invested by the European Union, the Interreg project Act Now has strengthened capacity building in municipalities, streamlined the scattered knowledge and invested in improved monitoring. New approaches in self-assessment and monitoring have been put into practice by piloting in the participating municipalities. To continue the successful work even more investments for a minimum of seven million euros after the project ends are foreseen.