Novel roles of regional and LOcal authorities in supporting energy consumers' behaviour change towards a low CARBOn economy.
LOCARBO project aims at improving policy instruments targeting demand driven initiatives to increase energy efficiency related to the built environment. This will be achieved by finding innovative ways for regional/local authorities to support energy consumers’ behavior change.
The 7 project partners from Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and the UK are aware that regional policies on energy efficiency can only be successful if pieces of the puzzle are brought together. Therefore, over the upcoming four years, LOCARBO will focus its activities on bottom-up initiatives on 3 thematic pillars (supplementary services and products offered by authorities, innovative cooperation models, and innovative technological solutions) in a fully integrated way.
LOCARBO will combine and roll-out innovative practices linked to three strongly interrelated thematic pillars:
- Supplementary services and products: Services and products offered by regional and local authorities, such as energy consultancy services to end users and energy ambassadors.
- Innovative cooperation models: Cooperation models based on Local Energy Communities, composed of economic and civil actors cooperating on energy efficiency and renewable energy, oriented to foster an active involvement of stakeholders, especially energy consumers.
- Innovative and smart/ICT technologies: Supporting the spread of intelligent technologies, such as energy management systems and smart meters in regions/countries with lower penetration rates, and systematically collecting and analysing data and feedback information in order to support evidence-based policy making.
Among the activities:
- Each partner region has to produce a regional/local analysis related to the addressed policy instrument, integrating the state-of-the-art and the ambitions of the region.
- Each partner region has to develop a regional/local action plan with a view to improve the tackled policy instrument associated with Structural Funds and other programmes, influencing EUR 100 M of funds.
- Local living labs: Each partner has to involve local/regional stakeholders in the project, namely in the elaboration of the local/regional action plans and in the networking activities.
The main result of LOCARBO is the improvement of the tackled policy instruments associated with Structural Funds and other programmes, centred on energy efficiency and the use of renewables in buildings and on the change of energy consumers' behaviour.
THE PARTNERSHIP:
Province of Potenza (IT) – Lead Partner
Basilicata Region (IT)
Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia (PT)
Durham County Council (UK)
Kaunas University of Technology (LT)
Hungarian Innovation and Efficiency Nonprofit Ltd (HU)
Municipality of Alba Iulia (RO)
Budget: €. 1,608,670.00
Duration: from 1 April 2016 to 30 September 2020