Energy efficiency study shows room for improvement in public sector and companies

Ljubljana – The REUS study on energy efficiency in Slovenia has once again focused on the public and services sectors. Since the previous such study, seven years ago, much has changed regarding legislation and circumstances, however the situation leaves plenty of room for improvement in both sectors, the results of the latest survey indicate.

The outcome of the study, conducted by communication agency Informa Echo in 2020, shows that the share of energy efficiency-minded consumers is smaller in the two sectors compared to households, Informa Echo director Rajko Dolinšek said at the presentation of the results on Friday, attributing the situation to the fact that households pay electricity and other bills themselves, whereas employees do not.

Some 84% working in the public and services sectors rated their energy consumption as medium, high or very high, which shows that a lot of areas could be improved.

Almost three quarters consider efficient energy use. 40% of the participating organisations train their staff in energy efficiency, whereas 70% seek relevant information online. A fifth cooperate with an external partner or institution on energy management.

About 80% of the organisations think that energy saving and the environment are equally important. When it comes to households, costs usually outweigh environmental concerns, Dolinšek added.

According to the study, the main energy sources used for heating are natural gas (29%), remote heating (18%), electricity (14%), heating oil (13%) and pellet heating (4%).

Another finding that points to room for improvement is that 18% are still maintaining 23 degrees or more in their offices or facilities during the heating season. The average temperature is 21-22 degrees among the majority (69%).

Moreover, three quarters of buildings housing organisations and institutions in the public and services sectors do not boast energy-efficient facade design, warned Dolinšek, noting that the share of those generating electricity themselves (8%) has somewhat increased over the past seven years and will hopefully continue to grow.

The study was conducted among 430 organisations and follows the EU Green Deal guidelines. Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Blaž Košorok lauded the project as a basis for further actions, saying that relatively simple steps could yield great effect. He also noted that efforts to tackle energy poverty should be put in the spotlight.

Mojca Vendramin, director of the Eko Sklad fund, said that there is great potential for energy renovation efforts in the public sector and companies. In 2017 the fund started awarding grants to the public sector and has been doing the same for companies over the past two years, she said, adding that funds as well as efforts to raise awareness about them should be stepped up.

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