Danish participation in IEA Annex 63 – Local implementation of energi strategies

The objective of Annex 63 is to develop strategies and guidelines for concrete implementation of targets for increased energy efficiency in communities. The work in this project is thus unique in two key areas:

- It elevates focus from individual buildings to cities, districts and municipalities. There is much knowledge about energy efficiency at the building level, while knowledge and strategies for interventions that include a large scale with a plurality of buildings and uses are lacking.

- It focuses on the complex implementation strategies. Although there are a number of technological solutions available, these are scarcely applied, and research shows that it takes a special effort to drive the implementation processes.

This project looks at energy efficient technologies and methods in a specific local context and creates knowledge about possible strategies, tools and skills for implementation into practice. It is vital for implementation to involve local stakeholders (government, citizens, institutions and utilities), and the project focuses on citizen participation and collaboration between stakeholders. The idea behind the Danish participation is to be based on the case studies of Danish municipalities with experience in implementation processes ( Subtask C ) and thereby generate input for both Methodology (Subtask A) and the Planning Process ( Subtask B). The applicants, Cenergia, DIST, and DTU, therefore involve interested local authorities and other stakeholders in taking active part in the knowledge production and dissemination, re. letters of intent. The interdisciplinary case studies include analysis of infrastructure at community level, planning practices, and institutional capabilities. Through the analysis the participating municipalities will get feedback to strengthen their implementation processes. The applicants' assessment is that the Danish experiences with dialogue -oriented approaches constitute an important input from Denmark to the IEA project.

Since it is an IEA project emphasis is on knowledge sharing and dissemination, both internationally and nationally. Nationally the objective is to ensure, that the knowledge and results of the IEA project is disseminated to Danish municipalities / stakeholders. Another result of the work on the case studies is the creation of a socio-technical evaluation tool to strengthen local reflection about implementation options .

The national context

We consider it important to participate in the IEA project based on work from our national context, so that the work creates value both for the IEA project and for Denmark. The work is based on a desire for greater understanding of the urban ' hub ', and an increased knowledge and new tools for widespread implementation will strengthen Danish companies and municipalities in achieving green development and growth.