Good practice:

Energy-efficiency through law enforcement

According to the Dutch national Environmental law (de Wet Milieubeheer), SME's have to take energy-efficiency measures with a return of investment of 5 years or less.

Experience has taught us that without law enforcement, companies don't take any efficiency measures. It is not their core business and most find it a difficult subject.

Municipalities and provinces are responsible for the law enforcement in their own region. They can make their own choices in prioritizing law enforcement, this means that they decide on what subjects they spend their law enforcement budgets.

The province of Groningen wanted to take responsibility and help the municipalities of Groningen to take theirs. The province therefore initiated and subsidized this project in which she and the municipalities worked together and gave the Groningen Environmental Service (in Dutch abbreviated as ODG) the assignment to execute law enforcement on energy-efficiency in the region of Groningen.

The ODG hired specially trained law enforcers for this project. The enforcers visited SME's and told them about the law and the energy-efficiency measures they have to take. Companies above a certain energy usage (50.000 kWh or 25.000 m3 gas) also have to make an energy saving plan. The visit is followed up bij de ODG: SME's have to send their saving plan to the ODG, where is it checked. After a certain time the law enforcers visit the SME's again to check if the measures have been taken.

Costs per SME € 1.500, paid for by the province of Groningen (60%) and the municipalites (40%).
Total annual were about € 300.000 per year, for 3 years.
The province secured budget through our 4 year energy program (2016-2019), the municipalities in their annual law enforcement budget.

More than 700 SME's have been visited by law enforcers. Most of them were happy with this visit. Finally it was made clear to them what they had to do. many didn't know that they could save that much energy (and money) within 5 years.
Also, because of the visits we now have a positive contact with many SME's, which will benefit us and them in achieving a carbon neutral future.

The exact results will be measureable in the next years, because SME's get some time to take the measures.

Law enforcement is expensive, funding it was a challenge, especially for the municipalites. But the saw the importance and with 60% subsidy from the province they could manage it.
Also finding enough specialized law enforcers was a challenge as this field of law enforcement was quite new.

This project gave us a very good insight in the current energy-efficiency state of many SME's and we now have a good contact with them to achieve future goals. But law enforcement is a very expensive way to achieve this. That is why we started a SME service organization that helps SME's, by informing them and offering free advice, towards a carbon neutral/free future. Not only with energy-efficiency, but also sustainable energy and circular economie and smart mobility.
This new project is called Smart Businesses Groningen (in Dutch Groningen Werkt Slim). It is funded by the partners the municipaity of Groningen, the business clubs of Groningen and the province of Groningen. The service company now has one full time employee. For now this is enough because this advisor only helps the SME's by pointing them in the right direction, so towards reliable advisory bureaus, installators, financial opportunities and subsidies, etc.