Smart Energy Community

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Estonia - Latvia

Date of latest update: 2023-11-15

Description

Description (EN):

Background: Estonia and Latvia have set the ambitious targets for the energy and climate policy. Most of the energy is consumed by households in buildings that are constructed more than 30-40 years ago, are poorly insulated and have an energy performance label of E or F. Also, new facilities require different skills to change consumption patterns. We can reduce carbon emissions by informing people about what other people living in similar households – across borders, across neighbourhoods – are doing to save their energy and manage to reduce their emissions. Behaviourally based changes that reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have major advantages. First, the benefits of raising public awareness and breaking demand-side lock-ins can be very fast, unlike major supply-side infrastructure changes that can take years. Second, they can be highly cost-effective. Third, they can provide substantial savings and other benefits directly to citizens, in particular in peripheral regions. Knowledge gaps to exploit both high tech and low-tech as well social innovation is concerned by local empowerment and local circumstances. The SEC project encourages the uptake of energy efficiency schemes by thinking about how people either as individuals or communities respond to the proposed solutions and incentives. Choosing schools and students for campaigning helps to carry the environmental messages and energy transition quicker. Cross-border nature The energy markets and systems of Estonia and Latvia are getting more interconnected and more similar in terms of technologies deployed and usage modes, though, Southern Estonia and Northern Latvia have different energy mixes (still higher fossil energy share and carbon footprint in Estonia). The energy efficient technologies tend to be restricted on mainstream nation-wide schemes, imported from western or northern Europe. Partners can learn from each other and to benefit from enriching and diversifying current energy consumption schemes considering behaviour modes and applying neighbourhood effect. By balanced public and private interest cross-border cooperation will help to find solutions to energy efficiency challenges. Jointly programmed and implemented campaigns can deliver multinational character and authority as well attracting much wider interest. Importantly, the project will promote cooperation and educational exchange on the lowest grassroots level, including the exchange of students and active community members who all practice energy consumption routines. Objectives The mission of SEC project is: we can make it easier for people to use energy more efficiently. The SEC project sets the school and community campaign including multiple promotion activities as well a range of experimental, educational and real-life trials to test different ways of applying behavioural insights to overcome barriers to being more energy efficient. The objectives of the smart energy community project are threefold: 1) increasing the awareness of the daily use of energy and improving energy saving in Estonian and Latvian households and communities; 2) increasing energy awareness at schools and introducing interactive learning-by-doing teaching methods in order to impact the energy consciousness of future generations; 3) promoting innovative and smart solutions and best practices for energy efficiency, using demo-units, support and ICT devices and instruments. The main target groups at the school campaigning such as school children and students, teachers, school management can be reached instantly via local authorities. The general public and households, local neighbourhood and village communities in the community campaign can be reached via affiliate non-governmental organisations, society groups, town and village activists. Main activities The pillars of the SEC project are elaborating and implementing the school campaign and the community campaign. The school campaigning involve complex of surveying, auditing and experimenting with the energy consumption patterns on school premises as well at homes setting up and using test kits devices in the Rõuge, Aluksne, Valmiera and Lizums pilot schools and integrating energy lessons and tests to the school curricula. Energy management units (lighting controls and sensors, etc) installed to improve energy efficiency at pilot schools will be integrated to the learning process. The school campaign involves student workshops and after-school activities, setting energy days, exchange study tours and other in-house campaigns at schools and among students. The school management and teachers are trained for the energy efficiency and energy class programme. The second campaign ‘Smart energy community’ will focus on energy savings regarding end-use energy efficiency at home on household level. The campaign will combine the informative and relevant components of households’ personalised behaviour of energy usage. The set of communication activities, including real, virtual, hands-on and practical, event-based such as trainings and written instructions how to save energy will be distributed through multiple communication channels. Integrity of metering, monitoring, auditing of energy consumption and acting using simple but smart home technologies (control devices, wifi sockets etc) obtained by the project and deployed in the real life condition supports changing energy consumption behaviour. The main outputs of the SEC project are as follows: 2 bilateral energy days at schools, 8 training sessions at schools and communities, 4 exchange study tours, 4 energy management demo-units including test kit for the energy class at schools and 2 energy management demo units for households, energy class workbook, leaflets and manuals for the public.

Achievements (EN):

The mission of SEC project was "We can make it easier for people to use energy more efficiently". The SEC project implemented the school and community campaigns that included multiple promotion activities, as well a range of experimental, educational and real-life trials to test different ways of applying behavioural insights to overcome barriers to being more energy efficient. The school campaigning involved experimenting with the energy consumption and promoting sustainable energy use at school and in home. Energy efficiency units (LED lighting and its controls, appliances, computers) were installed to improve energy efficiency at pilot schools - Rõuge in Estonia and E.Glick Aluksne state gymnasium, Valmiera Viesturs, Lizums in Latvia. The school campaign involved development of 9 education modules, supported by test kit devices and energy class workbook, programming of student workshops, organizing 3 energy days and study tours. The school management and teachers were trained for the energy efficiency and energy class programme in 8 sessions. The competition of energy videos was arranged. The community campaign focused on energy savings regarding end-use energy efficiency at home on household level. The campaign combined multiple components of households’ personalised behaviour of energy usage. Household’s energy consumption was comprehensively mapped by 20 households, applying 10 energy monitoring units, and 94 respondents to questionnaire. The household manual “The energetic people” are published and energy posters were displayed in public places. 5 training sessions were held for households in addition to individual instructive sessions in real-life home conditions. 6 videoclips on carpooling, heating, indoor climate, lighting, water saving, and mobile phone usage were produced and launched in campaigning. As a result of the project, the public have gained a know-how how to save energy. Altogether, more than 24000 people reached as a result of school and community campaigning. The project increased the awareness of people in terms of resource efficiency via school networks, energy days and lectures, trainings and student competitions. Potential energy savings due to measures targeting behaviour are estimated in the range 5-20%.

Website: https://old.estlat.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Awareness of people in terms of resource efficiency

Expected Outputs (EN):

As a result of the project, the public will have gained a know-how how to save energy. The project will aim to increase the awareness of people in terms of resource efficiency, increasing the number of people/households familiar with energy saving in the border area from the current 43% to 60% at the end of the project. The wider population and territorial coverage in the target area is achieved via school networks, energy days and lectures, trainings and student competitions as well as via the open access and dissemination of energy saving tools elaborated within the project and applied in pilot schools and target households. The energy campaign will be delivered by multiple channels to have a broader impact. The active engagement of communities will be ensured by combining a digital, face-to-face campaign as well as by a series of permanent actions and events such as hands-on monitoring and coaching activities, training sessions, and study tours. The media coverage of the project outputs is based on public interest on energy efficiency and advancing contemporary multidisciplinary school curricula. The geographical coverage is provided by regional agencies. All in all, this will directly impact the behavioural pattern of communities and awareness on energy and climate actions.

Thematic information

Energy efficiency

Specific Objective: Increased awareness of energy saving, sorting waste and re-use, and the more efficient management of common water resources

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06f) promoting innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and resource efficiency in the waste sector, water sector and with regard to soil, or to reduce air pollution

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: Tartu Regiooni Energiaagentuur

Address: Riia str 185, 51014 Tartu, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.trea.ee

Total budget: EUR 82 621.54

ERDF budget: EUR 70 228.31

Alūksnes novada dome

Name: Alūksnes novada dome

Address: Dārza 11, LV-4301 Alūksne, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.aluksne.lv

Total budget: EUR 40 877.88

ERDF budget: EUR 34 746.20

Vidzemes plānošanas reģions

Name: Vidzemes plānošanas reģions

Address: J.Poruka street 8-108, LV-4101 Cesis, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.vidzeme.lv

Total budget: EUR 45 751.03

ERDF budget: EUR 38 888.38

Rõuge vallavalitsus

Name: Rõuge vallavalitsus

Address: Ööbikuoru 4, 66201 Rõuge, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.rauge.ee

Total budget: EUR 71 913.73

ERDF budget: EUR 61 126.67

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Alūksne Municipality

Smart Energy Community

Partners and Projects info

Vidzeme Planning Region

Smart Energy Community

Partners and Projects info

Tartu Regional Energy Agency

Smart Energy Community

Partners and Projects info

Rõuge Municipality

Smart Energy Community

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Smart Energy Community

Project acronym: SEC

Project start date: 2017-03-01

Project end date: 2018-08-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 241 164.18

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 204 989.55

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 204 989.55.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Books

ENERGY PEOPLE - 6 energy diaries

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Book

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/energilised-inimesed.pdf

Publication date: 2020-01-27

Document date: 2018-08-31

Languages: et

Attachment file: Download

Videos / films

Nutiseadmed / Taupi bateriju!

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Lüliti / Izslēdz gaismu!

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Sisekliima / Bezmaksas enerģija

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Veemaailm / Neizsķied ūdeni!

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Kütmine / Nekurini pa tukšo!

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Lõbusõit / Kopā braukt ir izdevīgi

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.trea.ee/sec/

Publication date: 2020-01-30

Document date: 2018-05-01

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Estonia - Latvia

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-02

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

55 / 55 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

329 / 329 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.estlat.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08 and 2024-03-08.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

Languages

Contact Form

Smart Energy Community

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Disclaimer