Motivating local home-owners to energy retrofitting as examples on Urban Climate Governance in Danish MunicipalitiesJesper Ole JensenDanish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University

Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference 2013, Copenhagen 11-13 June 2013

Background• Energy savings in existing buildings are necessary to

reach climate goals• Municipalities have increasingly focus on reducing

energy use in households • Several municipal initiatives for motivating home-owners

for energy retrofitting have been formulated

Research questions• What is the status for the municipal initiatives towards

home-owners?• What types of institutional set-up’s are being used?• What are the experiences; are the initiatives towards

local home-oweners able to deliver results in term of energy savings, and how can other municipalities learn from this?

Modes of Urban Climate Governance• Self-governing, where the municipality acts as a consumer, and initiates climate

goals on own buildings, as for instance energy optimisation of schools and administration buildings, establish networks with other municipalities, formulate green procurement polities etc.

• Governing through enabling, where the municipality acts as a facilitator for establishing collaboration and networks between the municipality, local companies and institutions, citizens, industries etc.

• Governing through provision, where the municipality acts as a provider of energy, transport, waste, water etc., and thereby has an excellent position to formulate and steer climate policies.

• Governing through authority, where the municipality act as a regulator, exploiting its formal authorities in for instance by urban planning, land zone administration, building permissions etc.

Source: Alber & Kern (2009); Bulkeley et al (2009)

Modes of Urban Climate Governance• Self-governing, where the municipality acts as a consumer, and initiates climate

goals on own buildings, as for instance energy optimisation of schools and administration buildings, establish networks with other municipalities, formulate green procurement polities etc.

• Governing through enabling, where the municipality acts as a facilitator for establishing collaboration and networks between the municipality, local companies and institutions, citizens, industries etc.

• Governing through provision, where the municipality acts as a provider of energy, transport, waste, water etc., and thereby has an excellent position to formulate and steer climate policies.

• Governing through authority, where the municipality act as a regulator, exploiting its formal authorities in for instance by urban planning, land zone administration, building permissions etc.

Source: Alber & Kern (2009); Bulkeley et al (2009)

Methodology• Survey consisting of interviews with 22 municipalities on

their initiatives towards local home-owners• Literature- and document studies• Case studies of “five spear-head” initiatives towards

local home-owners

Institutional set-up to reach home-owners

Energysupplier

Municipality

SME’s

Energy consultant

BankEducationinstitutions

National Energy Agency

Standard Value Cathalogue

Energy City, Frederikshavn• Raising awareness amongst home-

owners on energy retrofitting • Collaboration with local energy

supplier to finance an energy consultant

• Re-education of local craftsmen and SME’s on energy issues

• Convincing local banks to finance home-owners energy retrofitting

Five spearhead initiatives  Collaboration partners Background and ambitions Targets Types of improvements

Energy City, Frederikshavn.Start 2011 

The municipality of Frederikshavn, local energy supplier, “Energy Proffs”

Pursue climate goals, create local jobs, train local SME’s, support settlement strategy

Single family houses Insulation of building shell (25%), also conversion to new types of supply (district heating, PV’s, heat pumps)

ESCO-light, Middelfart1.1.2012-31.12.2012   

The municipality of Middelfart, four local energy suppliers, network for “Grøn Erhvervsvækst”, National Knowledge center for Energy savings

Establishing “Green growth”, creating local jobs, upgrading skills amongst local SME’s

Single family houses Primary insulation of building shell, limited improvements of regulation, boilers etc.

2100.nu, CopehagenMay 2010-May 2011

The Agenda Center for Østerbro, local energy supplier, Teknologisk Institut and local SME’s

Part of larger campaign in 2010 to save 10 tons of CO2, and to create innovative solutions to climate changes

Apartment buildings: Private co-ops, owner-occupied apartments, private rented accommodation

Technical insulation, energy management, adjustment of boilers, limited improvements of building shell

“Houseowner in focus”, Municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern. 2011-2012   

Municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern and Scanenergi (energy consultant)

Political ambition to become self-sufficient with energy by 2020

Single family houses Improvements with payback time < 10 years, only limited improvements on building shell

Project Zero, Sønderborg. Start: Ultimo 2010 

Project Zero fund, Futura South (Regional think tank), Syd-energi, Danfoss, Sønderborg Municipality, DONG Energy, Nordea Fund 

Creating local growth Pursue in the region, based on climate neutral development. Create local jobs, upgrading skills amongst local SME’s

Single family houses N.A

ESCO-light, Middelfart

Municipality

SME’s

Energy consultant

BankEducationinstitutions

EA

Standard Value Catalogue

Energysuppliers

2100.nu, Copenhagen

Energysupplier

Municipality

Energy consultant

EA

Standard Value Catalogue

Agenda 21-center

Houseowner in focus”, Ringkøbing-Skjern

Energysupplier

Municipality

SME’s

Energy consultant

EA

Standard Value Catalogue

Reported energy savings

Several uncertainties of documentation: DIY, no submitting of documentation, behavioural effects, initiatives were completed anyway (additionality) etc.

Results• Challenge to make energy retrofitting a business case

for energy suppliers – more efficient alternatives under consideration

• Municipal initiaitives (Urban Climate Governance) supports business case

• Initiatives are important for a number of other reasons than CO2-reductions – ”secondary effects” supports municipal policies

Saving obligations for energy suppliers