From SEAP to Investment
Buildings are Europe's biggest energy resource. By 2013, buildings made up more than 40 % of the final energy consumption in the European Union (EU). While the benefits of energy efficiency in the building sector are evident and many municipalities already have action plans in place, the implementation does not quite take off. Due to lacking capacities, many struggle to translate their plans into action. This manual is for municipalities seeking to kickstart their energy efficiency activities in the building sector. Following the principle of customised capacity building, it introduces tools and methods to assess the existing capacities, and to identify what still needs to be established. Furthermore, it describes the idea of Local Energy Efficiency Work Groups (LEEGs): a network of local stakeholders aggregating the knowledge, perspectives and capacities for an effective and sustained implementation of energy efficiency measures. In doing so, it lays the foundation for further activities described in separate guidelines.