European Energy Award

The European Energy Award (eea) is a quality management and certification system for municipalities and regions. It supports local authorities in establishing interdisciplinary planning approaches and implementing effective energy and climate policy measures.

Likewise the quality and environment management systems, but focused on energy, the method is aimed at ensuring a reduction in energy consumption by acting in all sectors of interest for the Local Administration.

The European Energy Award® has been successfully applied in many municipalities of Switzerland, Austria and Germany since 2002. Thanks to the support of the SAVE II program, the European Energy Award® has been extended to the following countries: the Basque region in Spain, Ireland, Italy, France, Lithuania and Slovakia.

How does the European Energy Award® work?

Based on a quality management system, more typical of the economic sector (such as Total Quality Management), the eea® presents a process-oriented approach in which:

• energy activities are reviewed regularly,

• strengths, weaknesses and potential for improvement are evaluated and analyzed

• decision criteria and local energy policy objectives are defined

• a concrete work program on energy policies is established

• a program of the gradual achievement of expected results is elaborated.

 

The eea® methodology involves: review of activities related to energy, work on the basis of energy planning, practical implementation of the measures and continuous results monitoring and improving through audits.