This paper analyses challenges and opportunities for improving energy efficiency in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by reviewing research design and results out of seven European projects: SPEEDIER, SMEmPower Efficiency, E2Driver, Innoveas, Triple-A, DEESME and ICCEE. These projects aim to improve SMEs’ awareness of energy efficiency and support an effective decision-making-oriented approach to it. Drivers and barriers to energy efficiency improvements in European SMEs of various industrial sectors have been investigated by means of surveys, focused group discussions and interviews. A meta-analysis of the results of the seven EU projects was carried out to discover trends related to energy efficiency in European SMEs; this was supported by the use of a unifying analytic framework that enabled merging and cross-validation of the findings of the seven projects. The analysis indicated, by means of new data collected by the seven projects, that staff training, facilitation of energy audits, development of corporate policy measures and collaboration between SMEs involved in the same supply chain are key mechanisms to improve the uptake of energy efficiency measures in SMEs which has significant potential to achieve higher energy savings and energy cost reductions.
In this paper, we perform a comparative analysis of business models used by Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), suitable for the deployment of energy efficiency measures in the commercial rented sector across Europe. These models can effectively contribute to solving the split-incentive issue that arises in the rented building scenario. Some of them are obtained from their “traditional” counterparts, which do not consider the rented scenario, but just a bipartite agreement between an Energy Service Company and its client. The EU Horizon 2020 project SmartSPIN (Smart energy services to solve the SPlit INcentive problem in the commercial rented sector) targets delivery of enhanced energy services for commercial rented sector. These enhanced energy services (a) combine demand management services and energy efficiency interventions, (b) facilitate the adoption of renewables, (c) optimize the balance between demand and supply, (d) alleviate the split incentive issue. The pilot implementation of project will be performed in a business park in Greece, in an office building in Ireland and in two shopping centers in Spain. Key recommendations toward the implementation of such a smart energy service are provided in this paper. They have been obtained from a detailed analysis of ten interviews of key stakeholders of the energy efficiency section and of the commercial rented sector, along with an analysis of a selection of the most relevant technical literature.
This paper introduces an enhanced energy auditing process including a ring-fencing mechanism for the selection of energy efficiency measures considering a multi-stage planning of the energy retrofitting project. The proposed ring-fencing approach enables SMEs to overcome the barrier of lack of capital for the implementation of energy efficiency measures by implementing first no-cost measures and only after that energy savings are accumulated considering the installation of low-cost, medium-cost and finally high-cost measures. The advantages of the proposed methodology are illustrated by means of three case studies, where a variety of energy efficiency measures were first identified throughout the auditing process involving three different SMEs, then most effective measures were selected and scheduled to be implemented according to a multi-annual plan while considering budget and operational constraints. The results of the pilot studies show that the business owners have improved their decision-making with respect to energy efficiency upgrades by engaging in the auditing process and accepting the recommendations about the suggested interventions to maximize financial (and environmental) benefits.
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