Why ENGINE Was a Success: Partners Statements
After the end of the project, partners summarised in a statement their view of the results and successes of ENGINE.
I have experienced that implementing results of European projects into national programmes for energy efficiency in SMEs is a very fruitful symbiosis. ENGINE has been the fifth IEE project which was implemented in and co-financed by the Austrian climate protection scheme “klima:aktiv” of the Ministry of Environment. On the one hand the EU projects profit from the experience of the nationalprogramme, on the other hand klima:aktiv can adapt already tested and well running tools from other countries of the project consortium. In this way also the follow-up activities of IEE projects are assured. Petra Lackner, Manager of klima:aktiv program for energy efficient enterprises, Austrian Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
Severn Wye Energy Agency started delivering Business Energy Services shortly before the start of the ENGINE project. Working with external business support programmes helped to launch our portfolio of services. Participation in the ENGINE project has greatly assisted our ability to deliver enhanced services in this area of our work. We have been able to draw on the vast knowledge of the ENGINE consortium and in particular have made excellent use of the developed training programme, which is now integrated into many of our core business related activities. In addition to this our experience in sector specific industries has developed very well and the approach of delivering national workshops and round tables has enabled SWEA to become recognised as a delivery agent of support services to key stakeholders within industry and commerce.
Mike Brain, Head of Business Services, Severn Wye Energy Agency, Gloucestershire, England
ENGINE has been our first IEE funded project. The AGIMUS part was mainly to carry out energy checks. The materials developed within the frame of ENGINE are sophisticated and we will continue using them in future to support SME`s. One of our biggest successes within the project was that we managed to achieve 30 % of energy savings in one of the participating companies. All involved and surveyed companies appreciated the high standard of the checks and will or have already implemented several measures to reduce energy consumption. We learned that programs like ENGINE are important to disseminate experience and knowledge. Corinna Sonnenberg, Project Manager,
AGIMUS, Braunschweig, Germany
The findings from the implementation of the energy checks with more than 25% of energy use that could be saved through profitable measures identified gives us a strong argument and evidence to other industrial SMEs that the approaches carried out within ENGINE are both important and worth the effort.
Mats Johansson, Managing Director, KanEnergi, Skara, Sweden
The need for energy efficiency action is immense in the Swedish industry and building capacity activities to assist companies are essential. The approaches and actions carried out within ENGINE have been contributing to this core part of capacity building. Hans Lennart Norrblom, Energy and Environment Expert,
Swerea IFV AB, Gothenburg, Sweden
It is important to make the SMEs realize the full saving potentials and possibilities. However, within the ENGINE project we learned that is very helpful to find simple low-cost measures and start implementing these first. Then, step by step, more actions can be introduced. For the success it is also essential that the energy saving expertise is passed on to in-house staff and responsibilities are created. Antonio Siciliano, Senior Researcher,Ambiente Italia, Milano, Italy
My key task within the frame of the ENGINE project was to organise the trainings and activities for auditors in Germany, which were carried out with great success. For us it was evident, that the demand for training and capacity building is strong and seems to be an “easy seller”. The auditors and consultants see and experience the market potential. The target group of the companies still need more encouragement for which the ENGINE project also offered beneficial instruments and measures. Roland Pätzold, Project Manager, target GmbH, Hannover, Germany
This international project offered the opportunity to experience the situation of energy efficiency in other European countries. It was interesting to see that energy efficiency does not only mean to focus on technical solutions but also to take into consideration human factors and cultures to overcome existing problems and behaviours. Rainer Stifter, CEO of ENERGON Energie- und Umweltmanagement GmbH, Vienna, Austria