TrIsCo Newsletter #2: February 2011

In This Issue:

Eco Day 2010 is a huge success University of Seville prepares for an International Conference on Building Energy Savings TrIsCo Partners attend ‘Night of the Night’, The Netherlands Locals & municipal staff visit Naissaar, Estonia ACER Reggio Emilia contribute to new Regional Policy on Energy Efficiency in Buildings Energy Monitor Scheme Launched, Hampshire, UK

February 2011 Issue 2

Newsletter

The University of Seville is developing a CO2 assessment tool which uses a simple questionnaire from the Environment Centre (tEC). The answers have been translated into CO2 emission quantities. A first evaluation was performed by over a hundred university students. The web interface is being developed in order to allow residents to evaluate their homes and see how much CO2 can be avoided by simple changes or renovation. Several meetings with the technical experts have taken place. For more information please contact Professor Madelyn Marrero, University of Seville [email protected]

CO2 online assessment tool development

Eco Day 2010 is a huge success

Region Gotland’s Eco Day 2010 proved very popular with almost a thousand attendees at the Visby Stand Congress Centre, Gotland, Sweden. Eco Day is a means of inspiring all Gotlanders to live in an environment and climate-friendly way. Part of the programme was for municipality staff, with the second part for the general public. Guest Speaker Vera Simonsson, ‘Female Adventurer 2009’ gave a fascinating talk on her latest expedition: an 80 day, 1,200km ski trek with three friends along the spectacular coast of Baffin Island, Canada. Two panel debates were held during the event. The afternoon debate focused on the position of the two dominant energy sources on the land: wind power and bioenergy, and what the municipality can do to facilitate the switch to renewable energy.

The evening panel debate focused on how the switch to renewable energy will affect everyday life on the island and what development potential there is. Other presentations on renewable energy, energy optimisation and fair trade were made throughout the day.

CO2 Assessment Tool Interface Development

Find out more

Web: http://www.gotland.se/imcms/54489 Adventurer Vera Simonsson

Newsletter Brabantse Milieufederatie (BMF) Study Tour 29-30th October 2010

Partners from the UK, Spain and Sweden visited The Netherlands for the BMF study tour on 29th & 30th October in Eindhoven, the innovation capital of the Noord-Brabant region. The tour showcased Dutch initiatives to promote energy efficiency and upcoming techniques to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption. Day One: The TrIsCo partners participated in a biomimicry workshop, visited the International Center of Sustainable Excellence (ICSE) and were informed about a new renovation concept. This concept is based on stripping the outer

layer of cavity walls and then adding a new building envelope to improve the energy efficiency, without the inhabitants having to leave the house. The day closed with an informal meet and greet, where the delegates met with Transition Town Eindhoven and partners from other POWER projects. Day Two: Attendees visited Energy House ‘de Mirre’, a showcase house where the required electrical and thermal energy is produced, stored and inverted by installations in, under or on the house itself. Finally the delegates visited the site of Ecovillage Brabant in Boxtel. The first experimental eco building is currently under construction and it is an example of how a community can work together to create a sustainable society.

To read the report please visit www.environmentcentre.com/trisco/news&events

Preparation begin for an International Conference on Building Energy Saving, Seville, Spain

University of Seville (UoS) professors: Jaime Solís, Madelyn Marrero, Rafael Llácer Pantión, Desirée Alba, Rafael Lucas and José Manuel Almodóvar have met the software technician, José Carlos Claro. The group is organising the upcoming International Conference on Energy Saving in Buildings in Seville, February 2011. Technical visits to EMASESA (Seville’s Water Company) and Solúcar (thermal solar plant) are being arranged as part of the conference. Seville’s Local Energy Agency, the Maintenance Department of the Universidad de Sevilla (University of Seville) and the Agencia Andaluza de la Energía (Andalusia Energy Agency) have been invited to participate in the conference. Professor Solís explained to the group his work during an internship at the Environment Centre (tEC) from July-September 2010. This work included analysing other CO2 assessment tools from around Europe.

Improving energy efficiency

and comfort

Checking the energy efficiency

installations

Conference planning sessions

Contact: Madelyn Marrero

Email: [email protected]

Newsletter Viimsi Residents & Municipal Staff Visit Naissaar

TrIsCo partners attend POWER Policy Working Group

tEC represented the TrIsCo project at the recent POWER PWG meeting for 'Delivering Low Carbon Behaviours' in Rimini, Italy.

This meeting was held at Ecomondo, the most important exhibition on green technology and new green lifestyles in Rimini, Italy. For more information visit: http://en.ecomondo.com/

During the PWG meeting tEC presented an overview of the TrIsCo project and summarised three of the best practices for empowering community action identified to date. These best practices were taken from project partners in The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.

The presentation is available on the TrIsCo web pages: http://www.environmentcentre.com/rte.asp?id=339

Adam Goulden of tEC presents the TrIsCo project

Viimsi Rural Municipality (Viimsi Vallavalitsus) organised a study tour to the island of Naissaar for local municipality staff and residents on the 11th &12th September. Naissaar is just one of the nine islands in the region and has a population of between 2 and 4 inhabitants depending on the time of year. The study tour was organised to stimulate debate about energy provision to islands such as Naissaar, and the need and opportunities to influence the Estonian government and environment agencies. The need for the government and environment agencies to support renewable energy micro-generation was highlighted. This is seen as of particular importance to inhabitants of islands such as Naissaar, which are not connected to a main electricity supply.

Key sites on the tour include: • Naissaar lighthouse and radar station of the Estonian Coast Guard: Previously fuelled by a diesel gen-

erator, the buildings are now powered completely by renewable energy The lighthouse by solar batteries and 5kW wind turbine; the radar and Coast Guard station by a 10kW wind turbine

• Disused Soviet military battery and sea mine platforms: Rasmus Treikelder, owner of the island’s guest-

house is interested in developing the area for tourists. • Naissaar Guesthouse, Männiku: Energy production for the guesthouse is currently via a diesel generator.

The owner, Rasmus Treikelder, is interested in changing this supply to renewable source.

• Conductor Tõnu Kaljuste’s “opera house”: Electricity is produced by a small, 3kW wind generator and heating is produced by solar batteries. The system was built 5 years ago and works very well for a small household.

Conductor, Tõnu Kaljuste’s “opera house”

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Enno Selirand

TrISCo Partners attend ‘Night of The Night’, The Netherlands

Location: Nature reserve ‘Bossche Broek’, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands Time: 19.00 – 22.00 hrs The Netherlands is one of the most illuminated countries in the world and the light intensity keeps increasing. BMF’s interregional event was organised around the Night of the Night, a national campaign coordinated each year by the BMF to raise awareness for the importance of darkness for the natural environment and to stimulate the debate on the necessity of lighting and unnecessary energy use. This year, BMF organised a Night of the Night activity in cooperation with the Municipality of Den Bosch in ‘Bossche Broek’, a unique protected natural reserve at the edge of town. More than 200 people showed up for the nightly guided tours by volunteers from local nature preservation organisations. Halfway through the nature reserve walk, the city lights of many community and commercial buildings in Den Bosch went out to emphasise the impact of city lights and decorative lighting on the surroundings.

To read the report please visit www.environmentcentre.com/trisco/downloads

Newsletter

Night of the Night

Before ‘Lights Out’ After ‘Lights Out’

ACER Reggio Emilia contribute to new Regional Policy on Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Meeting Chair: Marco Corradi, ACER Regional Law DAL 156/2008 (dated 4th march 2008) concerns the energy efficiency and certification guidelines of the buildings in Emilia Romagna. As a Social Housing Operator ACER Reggio Emilia has to abide by this legislation on a daily basis and has encountered a number of difficulties applying the law to its work. ACER identified opportunities to improve the energy efficiency aspect of the law. A dedicated group was set up to formalise these difficulties and opportunities . This group took part in numerous technical & political roundtable meetings (in Bologna) to explain the difficulties to respect the law during their job: projects for new buildings and overall refurbishment of the existing buildings. ACER’s work has resulted in a modified version of the law which outlines the region’s transition towards new legislation on energy performance of buildings. The document is numbered 1362/2010 and was published on 20th September 2010.

Contact: Alessandro Viglioli

Email: [email protected]

Project Partners

Want To Find Out More?

Contact:

• Helen Farley, the Environment Centre (tEC), England: [email protected]

• Enno Selirand, Viimsi Vallavalistus, Estonia: [email protected]

• Alessandro Viglioli, ACER Reggio Emilia, Italy: [email protected]

• Arianne Vijge, BMF, The Netherlands: [email protected]

• Madelyn Marrero Melendez, University of Seville, Spain: [email protected]

• Helena Andersson, Region Gotland, Sweden [email protected]

Energy Monitor Loan Scheme Launched: Hampshire, England

tEC is currently running a scheme to loan out energy monitors to its staff and residents in Hampshire. 100 energy monitors are being loaned to residents in the areas of Whitehill Bordon, Hythe and Dibden, Winchester and Southampton. The energy monitors allow the residents to monitor their electricity usage. The key aim of the project is for residents to reduce their electricity usage over six months. The six month scheme also benefits the residents in the following ways: • To increase the homeowners’ awareness of energy use in the home • To allow the residents to see which appliances use the most energy • To reduce electricity usage, CO2 emissions and the residents’ utility bills. The monitors allow the residents to measure their normal electricity use for four weeks, before changing their behaviour to reduce their electricity use. Weeks 1 & 2

participants are asked to ‘carry on as usual’ and during weeks 3 & 4, they are encouraged to look at the monitor and record how much energy electricity appliances, such as kettles and electric showers, use. From month two onwards residents can then begin to reduce their electricity use. The monitors show, and record, current electricity use, CO2 emissions and cost of their current electricity usage. At the beginning of the six month scheme, tEC’s qualified energy advisors ran information sessions and provided information packs so interested residents could learn how their monitors work and how to record their electricity usage, electricity costs, and CO2 emissions. Residents have been recording the information monthly on tEC’s website or sending their readings to tEC via email. tEC’s qualified energy advisors have been providing support and advice to the residents using the monitors through emails, tEC’s website and tEC’s free phone advice phone number. At the end of the six month scheme tEC’s qualified energy advisors will also run a feedback session at the end

of the scheme to discuss their experiences, find out how much energy, CO2 and money they saved.

Newsletter

OWL Electricity Monitor

Contact: Helen Farley Email: [email protected]