MUNEE in the Czech Republic
Of the MUNEE countries, the Czech Republic perhaps is the greatest resource of lessons learned. SEVEn (Stredisko pro efektivni vyuzivani energie, o.p.s.), our local MUNEE partner, is helping to bring that experience to other countries. Specifically, SEVEn is assisting MUNEE by providing training on the following topics and assessing their progress in the Czech Republic:
Municipal Energy Planning: SEVEn is one of the most experienced groups in the region on helping cities develop municipal energy plans. These plans provide guideposts for cities to follow on forecasting future energy needs and assessing demand-side reductions. SEVEn is assessing the experience of Czech cities in municipal energy planning, especially on the process of developing a municipal energy plan. The goal is for SEVEn to make recommendations for cities that want to develop energy plans in the future.SEVEn is now interviewing selected city managers to find out what parts of their energy plan have proven successful (as well as document the tangible results in terms of energy savings, money invested in energy efficiency, etc.), and what parts of the plan have proven to be a disappointment. From this, SEVEn will try and draw conclusions about what is necessary to create a successful municipal energy plan.
District Heat Analysis: SEVEn is analyzing district heating companies in the Czech Republic to determine what percentage of them has chosen to privatize, in which manner and to what degree they have approached privatization, and whether or not privatization is an effective means of improving heat management and promoting municipal energy efficiency initiatives. The analysis will identify drivers of change over the past decade, and will attempt to answer the following questions:
- Has privatization of district heat networks worked for Czech cities from an environmental, social and economic point of view?
- Are certain ownership and management structures better for certain kinds of cities (such as large or small cities)?
- What kind of capacity does a city need to restructure successfully?
The result of this work -- as in the MUNEE workplans in Poland and Hungary -- is designed to disseminate privatization experience (both good and bad) to cities throughout the region. Although not directly related to energy efficiency, privatization through foreign investment is an increasingly common solution for many district heating companies that badly need to rehabilitate their systems.
Policy Reform: Impact Analysis of the Czech Energy Conservation Law SEVEn is researching the practical impacts of the Czech Energy Conservation Law #406 on municipal energy savings through a survey of individual municipalities' initiatives since the Law's enactment - and attempting to determine to what extent the legal framework developed in the Czech Republic is a model for other countries in the region.The purpose of the Energy Conservation Law, as stated by the Czech Government, is to contribute to the economical use of natural resources and protection of the environment, as well as to support a more efficient use of energy. The law states that energy policies will be determined by local authorities, and that these policies will constitute the binding basis for master planning. The Law also includes a section on energy audits. While this law is clearly a step in the right direction, many countries have enacted similar laws that have led to few tangible results. Under the MUNEE program, SEVEn will study whether the Energy Conservation Law in the Czech Republic has led to significant energy savings in municipalities and, if so, how the Law has been enforced. If not, what are the Law's specific shortcomings?
For more information, contact:
Angela Morin-Allen
Alliance to Save Energy
amorin@ase.org
