GOOD PRACTICE TEMPLATE

Project-title: Rurener Roadshow

Name of the organisation: EnerMaTec GmbH

Status of the organisation: GmbH, private business

Address: Bohlweg 8, 38100 Braunschweig

Contact person: Dr. Werner NeumannPhone: +49 (0)531 / 28859983 Fax: +49 (0)531 / 28859989E-mail: w.neumann(at)enermatec.deWeb site : www.enermatec.de

Interest area

X Public Sector X Private Sector Large Industrial Buildings Solar Plants

X District Heating X Other

Target Audience

X CitizensX HouseholdsX Property owners

X PolicymakersX Local and regional authorities Energy service company (ESCO’s)

X Architects and engineers X Other

BACKGROUNDRurener Roadshow is an informative event within a local pilot community, informing about the RURENER project and promoting the ideas of energetic efficiency and climate protection.It is directed at citizens of the commune. One additional aspect consists in acquainting the citizens with concrete ways of saving energy by themselves, for instance by house modernisations.

OBJECTIVESThe main aims of Rurener Roadshow involve information as well as promotion. On the one hand, the roadshow informs the people about energetic neutrality, measures of modernising houses and saving energy. On the other hand, it provides information about the Rurener project in general and local actions in concrete. Promoting ideas like energetic neutrality as well as giving a general overview of the different individual measures shall increase understanding and backing in the population. The fact that the local authority acts like a role model by using renewable energies and further measures to achieve energetic neutrality should encourage citizens to follow their example. Therefore, the roadshow aims at offering a variety of elements, such as speeches and presentations, booths and extras like an electric bicycle or experiments of the Federation for Nature Conservation (NABU).

PROCESS

Several factors are of high importance for the success of the roadshow: a good concept, close contact to the local authorities, support by several partners and sufficient advertisement. Dealing with the topic “energy”, the Rurener Roadshow has been organised referring to the main question “What can I do for the climate?”. The information event is planned for an amount of 50 to 200 people, takes place in the local town hall and involves a catering service and the appearance of various partners, e.g. a booth of hands craft men.Before the actual roadshow takes place, bulletins or placards are posted in public to inform further businesses or persons that they can apply for an appearance at the event. Additionally, the roadshow can be broached in schools and kindergardens and promoted by handing out flyers in the community.

The Key is the mixture of exhibition, presentations and faire. Information walls ( on RURENER, energetic neutrality, technologies (solar, geothermal, etc.), best practice, changing the supplier, top 10 energy saving tips,... ) allow the visitor to approach the issue to his interests and needs. It can bridge over the time between relevant presentations as well.The presentations allow the visitor to get a structured vision of Rurener and things he could do and why he should do it.The faire is the chance to let the citizen act right away. Once the people come out of a presentation on energetic modernization of houses, the can talk to the craftsmen directly about their own home. By doing this there is a good chance of creating local business and doing it now instead of “sometime”.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND PARTNERSThe Rurener Roadshow is primarily financed out of the Rurener budget. In addition, the private business Enermatec took over a part of the costs and the respective communities offered the local premises for free.

RESULTSSo far, two Rurener Roadshows have been organised in the German pilot communities Wesendorf and Schladen. In both cases, the event was received well and attended by a considerable amount of people, which made it possible to increase awareness and environmental education within the community.

LESSONS LEARNED AND REPEATABILTYIt has become apparent that Rurener Roadshow is a great chance of informing the people in rural areas, who seem to have a special interest and demand of information about energy efficiency.We noticed that it is of considerable importance to choose skilled hand crafts men, especially a just and balanced choice turned out to be challenging.This type of project would probably make sense in every community as soon as some individual measures have already been started by the local authorities.

Photos: