Publications of Rezessy, S.

Municipalities and energy efficiency in countries in transition: Review of factors that determine municipal involvement in the markets for energy services and energy efficient equipment, or how to augment the role of municipalities as market players

Abstract: It is widely recognized that many cost-efficient opportunities to employ end-use energy efficiency measures exist in countries in transition (CITs) and that municipal authorities have an essential role to play in capturing these opportunities. The aim of this paper is to review the factors that determine the degree of involvement of local authorities in the market for energy services and energy efficient (EE) equipment in three CITs: Bulgaria, Hungary and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (hereafter: Macedonia). We achieve this aim by examining the current status of local governments as the most powerful determinant of municipal market involvement. Two broad groups of factors are discussed: statutory obligations and powers of local governments, especially energy-related tasks, and finance. We explain how specific features within these two areas may influence the motivation of local authorities to improve energy efficiency and their capacity to do so. We argue that greater decentralization is the first step in augmenting the role of local authorities in the market for energy services and EE equipment. Based on the analysis we give recommendations on how to encourage municipal authorities to use market mechanisms more extensively to deliver energy efficiency

Electricity End-Use in Buildings: A Survey of New Member States and Candidate Countries

A large body of literature points to the large cost-effective energy conservation potentials in the countries that joined the European Union in April 2004, but the present understanding of the size and details of this potential is limited. Therefore, the European Commission has started a project, managed by DG-Joint Research Center (JRC), with the declared aim to develop a bottom-up end-use electricity consumption database for the building sector in the new EU member states (NMS), candidate countries (CC) and in the Western Balkans (WB). This database will contain reference data concerning electricity consumption and savings potential in buildings (both residential and commercial), a sector which is using a large amount of energy and is considered by the European Commission to be a priority sector for energy conservation policy measures.The paper presents the preliminary results of the first survey of electricity consumption and saving potential in buildings in the NMS and the CC. The paper provides the first results of JRC project on electricity end-use efficiency in buildings in NMS, CC and WB comprising an analysis of data on the installed end-use technologies (penetration rate, usage pattern, specific energy consumption, etc.), an evaluation of the corresponding electricity use and an estimate of the electricity savings potential. The key barriers and incentives to end-use electricity efficiency in buildings will be presented, together with an inventory of current polices. Based on the preliminary results of the study, the paper will present a first set of policy recommendations on how to unlock the electricity saving potential in the buildings sector of NMS and CC.Beyond summarising the present state of understanding in the area of electricity end-use data and conservation potentials in MNS and CC buildings, the paper will identify the status and potential key areas for further research which is needed for policy-making at both the EU and the NMS level for the most efficient unlocking of the sizable energy saving potential.

Tradable certificates for energy savings: Opportunities, challenges, and prospects for integration with other market instruments in the energy sector

Policy portfolios that include tradable green certificates have been introduced in several European countries to foster market-driven penetration of renewable energy sources. Another widely analysed type of market-based instrument in the energy sector is the tradable emission allowance. Recently tradable certificates for energy savings as a tool to stimulate energy efficiency investments and deliver energy savings have attracted the attention of policy makers. While such schemes have been introduced in different forms in Italy and the Great Britain and considered in other European countries, there is an ongoing debate over their effectiveness and applicability. The paper describes the concept and main elements of schemes that involve tradable certificates for energy savings (TCES) and how these have been put into practice in Italy and the Great Britain. It then compares TCES schemes with energy taxation and mandatory demand-side management (DSM) programs using a set of four criteria. Integration with green certificates and CO2 emissions trading schemes is examined and some possibilities for practical implementation are outlined.