RUE Ambassadors - a Future Model for Enhancing Energy Efficiency in SME

Figure 1: breakdown of different types of energy conservation potential

Graphics source: 

Schmid, C. et al., Research Report: Opportunities, Potentials, Barriers, and Policies to Reduce the Energy Demand of Cross-Cutting Technologies in Industry and the Tertiary Sector, Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe 2003

Objectives

Raising energy efficiency, reducing energy cost and thus strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are the primary objectives of this research project. Finally, improved energy efficiency represents an important contribution to environmental protection.

Approximately 90 % of all German industrial enterprises are SME with less than 300 employees. They have a significant share in overall energy consumption and are responsible for a correspondingly high percentage of climate-affecting emissions.

Potential measures concerning the rational use of energy (RUE) are rarely realised despite the existence of a great number of cost-efficient investment and organisational measures that would improve energy efficiency. These possibilities often fall within the realm of general purpose technologies: technologies employed across a range of industry sectors that are more easily optimised than those specific to one particular operational process. The reasons for such delayed implementation are numerous and have frequently been under examination. Fully tapping the potential for energy conservation requires that new methods be developed.

This project develops and tests the new model of Initiative Approach, which can be used in any consultation between an external expert and the management that is founded on an established mutual trust.

Contents

The RUE Ambassadors are the key actors of this model project. In already scheduled consultations (usually at management level concerning microeconomic matters) they are to address the subject of energy efficiency competently and convincingly (Initiative Approach), thereby raising awareness in the client and encouraging them to take further action.

As these Ambassador consultations are essential to the project's success, all elements and materials developed are aimed at making them as effective and sustainable as possible.

With the participation of RKW Hessen GmbH, the project involves an institution that enjoys a good reputation among small and medium-sized businesses in Hessen and that cultivates close relations to SME in the field of consultancy, which will serve as a basis for putting the RUE Ambassador model into action.

Another project partner will be the research institute Fraunhofer ISI, which can call on a great body of experience in the fields of energy research and project evaluation. In addition to contributing to the project on content matters, the Fraunhofer ISI will take over the tasks of monitoring and evaluation.

The management of the project lies with the RKW Competence Centre of the RKW German Centre for Productivity and Innovation.

Steps

To be developed are: 

• Training and qualification measures for the RUE Ambassadors 
• An RUE Ambassador portfolio - a working foundation for Ambassador consultations containing methodological, didactic and technical instructions on competently and successfully approaching decision-makers in SME
• An RUE brochure - a compilation of information to be handed out to the client containing information, check lists, and questionnaires
• Aptitude criteria for RUE Ambassadors 

Measures to be implemented: 

• RUE Ambassador training 
• 200 Ambassador consultations 
• Evaluation

Results

The result is an RUE Ambassador model with materials for Ambassador training and Ambassador consultations.

It will be made accessible to other institutions within the RKW network and can theoretically be applied to other fields (e.g. material efficiency) as well.

Project partners

RKW Competence Centre of the RKW German Centre for Productivity and Innovation

Düsseldorfer Str. 40, 65760 Eschborn
Contact: Ottmar Wandel
Phone: +49(0)6196 / 495 - 3222
Fax:     +49(0)6196 / 495 - 493222
E-Mail: wandel [at] rkw.de
www.rkw.de

RKW Hessen GmbH

Düsseldorfer Str. 40
65760 Eschborn
Contact: Jürgen Müller
Phone: +49 (0)6196/9702-41
Fax:     +49 (0)6196/9702-72
E-Mail: J.Mueller [at] rkw-hessen.de
www.rkw-hessen.de

Project website (in German only)

http://www.rkw.de/01_forschung/Produktion/Energie-Effizienz/index.html