[en] Energy auditing is steadily rising on the list of priorities for companies, and government mandates and restrictions are requiring businesses to become energy conscious. A typical university-based energy auditing program like the Louisiana Smart and Secure Energy Assessment Laboratory (LASSEL) provides useful service to local industries by identifying energy-saving opportunities and by creating energy management plans for the industries. While the energy audit procedure is standardized, it is possible that the use of lean concept can improve the efficiency of the auditing process. This research is a case study which examines how the total task time needed to carry out energy assessments can be reduced using lean tools. In this study, the potential areas of improvement are analyzed using the Pareto analysis and non-value-added activities are identified. To achieve savings in task time, lean tools such as four-step rapid setup, standardized work, and 5S are applied. A revised procedure is developed and the results of using the new procedure can decrease total energy assessment time by an average of 18%. The variation in total energy assessment time measured by range can be reduced by 65%. Using the lean-based procedure, LASSEL is able to serve more industries per period.

[en] Monitoring and targeting software systems have proved to be valuable tools for energy control, permitting to save five to ten percent of energy. The article reviews the systems that are presently available in England and illustrates how these systems are successfully used in practice in small (British Telecom) and middle large (Charles Wells Brewery) industrial applications. (A.S.)

[en] Employee energy benefits (EEBs), such as subsidies for employee home energy audits and financial incentives for carpooling to work, aim to influence employees’ environmental behaviors outside of work. Exploring these understudied benefits would offer new insights that can enrich theories of employer and employee motivations for engaging in environmental behavior, as well as reveal new strategies for making significant progress on environment goals. By drawing upon employer reports and conducting a survey of 482 US adults employed full-time, we found that there are a wide range of types of EEBs currently offered by employers, and furthermore, they were more likely to be offered in certain industries, such as state and local governments but not others such as retail. These benefits were offered to 17% of employees and included a vast array of strategies and approaches. Guided by theorizing on employer and employee motivation, open-ended responses suggested employers were perceived to offer EEBs to maximize competiveness and because of social responsibility concerns, and employees tended to enroll because they wanted to save money and time or because they cared about the environment. Finally, EEBs were linked to employee environmental behavior and morale. The findings reveal new information about the types of EEBs being offered, motivations for offering and enrolling in EEBs, and their relationship to employee behavior and morale. This work suggests numerous lines of promising new research.

[en] Short communication

[en] This paper empirically investigates factors driving the adoption of energy-efficiency measures by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our analyses are based on cross-sectional data from SMEs which participated in a German energy audit program between 2008 and 2010. In general, our findings appear robust to alternative model specifications and are consistent with the theoretical and still scarce empirical literature on barriers to energy-efficiency in SMEs. More specifically, high investment costs, which are captured by subjective and objective proxies, appear to impede the adoption of energy-efficiency measures, even if these measures are deemed profitable. Similarly, we find that lack of capital slows the adoption of energy-efficiency measures, primarily for larger investments. Hence, investment subsidies or soft loans (for larger investments) may help accelerating the diffusion of energy-efficiency measures in SMEs. Other barriers were not found to be statistically significant. Finally, our findings provide evidence that the quality of energy audits affects the adoption of energy-efficiency measures. Hence, effective regulation should involve quality standards for energy audits, templates for audit reports or mandatory monitoring of energy audits. - Highlights: ► We empirically analyze barriers to the adoption of energy-efficiency measures in SMEs. ► We focus on firms participating in the German energy audit program for SMEs. ► The program overcomes information related barriers. ► High investment costs still impede the adoption even for profitable measures. ► Low audit quality also impedes the adoption of profitable measures.

[en] Short communication

[en] The Swedish energy audit program is a publicly financed program, mainly targeting small and medium-sized firms to help them finance energy audits. By examining suggested and implemented energy efficiency measures from the energy audits conducted in 241 firms in the program, the aim of this paper is to examine the energy efficiency implementation gap and the cost efficiency of the program. The audits show that the firms' average annual energy efficiency improvement potential is between 860 and 1270 MWh/year which corresponds to a total energy efficiency improvement potential of between 6980 and 11,130 MWh/firm. The implementation rate of the suggested energy efficiency improvement measures in the SEAP is 53%. The program has resulted in investments in energy efficiency improvements between €74,100and €113,000/firm. - Highlights: • Auditors find an energy efficiency improvement potential of 460–660 MWh/year/firm. • The implementation rate of the suggested measures is 53%. • The total cost per MWh lie between €87 and €114/MWh. • Public costs in the SEAP are €0.7–€1.3/MWh

[en] The audit suitcase was proposed by BESEL to introduce in the solar energy market a new tool which can make an evaluation of solar installation efficiency. Non-invasive sensors and low power components permit both easy installation of the devices and data storage for a period as long as ten days. This project was funded by the contract JOR3-CT98-7030 of the European Union JOULE III program. (Author)

[en] Recent developments from the company that established the UK's National Home Energy Rating schemes are reported. The extension into social housing has proved highly popular and an energy cost guarantee which guarantees the main heating and hot water bill of a home will not exceed a pre-specified level, with a cash refund if it does, has been developed for the home occupier market. (UK)

[en] The purpose of this pilot project was to carry out energy audit into the furniture plant TEIKA and energy saving measures. Another aim was to transfer the Danish know how and experience obtained through the Danish effort in Latvian industries consumers. Therefore great attention is paid to energy mapping in order to show possibilities of the Danish methodisms. This report is a part of the Joint Latvian - Danish Project Demand Side Management and Energy Saving. It is a results of collaborative efforts between a Latvian team, consisting of the specialists from Latvenergo and on the other hand a Danish team, which was represented by the Danish Power Consult company NESA. (EG)