Energy Audits and Subsidies

Central role of energy audits in agreement scheme

Energy audit is a systematic procedure that evaluates the existing consumption, identifies and scales the cost-effective energy saving opportunities and reports the findings. Today there are nine official Motiva energy audit models in use. The Ministry of Trade and Industries (MTI) is subsidising the implementation of audits following these models. However, it should be noted that in industry and in the energy sector, audits are conducted also without MTI subsidies.

One of the central objectives of the conservation agreements of industry, the municipal sector, the property and building sector and the energy sector is to extend energy audits and analyses to the greatest possible degree to energy consumption in these sectors. In most agreement sectors, the conservation agreements have indeed had a significant impact on the volume of energy audit activity in recent years. In the industrial sector and property and building sector in particular, the impact of the agreements on the increase in the volume of energy audit activity has been decisive.

During the course of the conservation agreement scheme 1998–2006, approx. 90% on average of audit subsidies granted have been related to projects of enterprises and communities participating in the conservation agreements. In 2006, the share of enterprises participating in the energy conservation agreements was 83%. When calculated on the basis of the number of projects launched, the proportion of projects of scheme participants across the whole period 1998–2006 has averaged a little over 70% but reached only 65% in 2006.

Energy audit activity more subdued than in recent years

The numbers of energy audit and energy analysis projects associated with implementation of conservation agreements launched in 1998–2006, their costs, and subsidies granted for them by the MTI are presented by agreement sector in the Table:

Energy Audit and Energy Analysis Projects 2006 (xls) (17 KB)

Between 1998–2001, the maximum audit subsidy for all enterprises and communities signed up to conservation agreements was 50%, but from 2002, the maximum subsidy applying to all except the municipal sector has been 40% of total project costs. In addition to projects shown in the table, audits and analyses have also been conducted without MTI subsidies, at least within the scope of industrial and district heating sector agreements.

In accordance with the National Energy and Climate Strategy approved by the Government in November 2005, energy audits and analyses will continue to be subsidised both within the emissions trading sector and outside it.

The Table also includes audit projects implemented by companies or communities before signing up to energy conservation agreements. The total number of such projects, carried out before the company or community entered into the energy conservation agreement, included in the table is 31, and their total subsidies have amounted to approx. 0.19 million euros. About half of the projects were executed in the municipal sector and the rest are equally divided between the property and building and industrial agreement sectors.

The total value of audit subsidies granted to the sectors covered by energy conservation agreements in 2006 fell by about one third from the previous year. The number of projects and sites covered by them, already significantly reduced the year before, declined further in 2006. Compared to the previous year, proportionally the greatest change in terms of both the number of initiated projects and awarded subsidies took place in the municipal sector and the property and building sector, where there was a very considerable drop in volumes.