Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy will cut electricity consumption by 15% over 3 years

Ambition to inspire
‘Although we had already given some thought to energy efficient solutions when the Ministry of Climate and Energy moved to its present address in Copenhagen, we believe that we can realistically reduce our consumption by a further 15% over 3 years. Some of the areas I am thinking about include even more energy efficient management of lighting and energy use, as well as energy saving IT solutions,’ says Connie Hedegaard, who emphasises that she hopes the agreement can inspire other public sector institutions to conclude similar agreements.

‘By signing the agreement the Ministry of Climate and Energy is showing that it’s keeping its own house in order. The target agreed by the Ministry is really ambitious; but it is achievable. Naturally, we will do everything we can to help the Ministry to achieve their goal, thereby setting a good example for others to follow,’ says Christian Jarby, Manager for Public Sector Affairs at the Trust.
 
15% over 3 years
According to the agreement the Ministry of Climate and Energy must reduce the consumption of electricity in the department’s own offices by 15% in the period 2008-2011. This will be based on consumption of 157,709 kWh in 2007.

Because the Ministry of Climate and Energy was not established at that point, the electricity consumption figure is based on the consumption in the building before the Ministry moved in on 23 November 2007. At that time the building was also fully staffed, which will soon be the case again with the rapid expansion of the Ministry’s activities.

Currently the agreement covers the 90 or so staff in the departmental offices at Stormgade 2-6, Copenhagen. The total savings during the agreed period will be at least 23,650 kWh.

Government agencies should also agree to save electricity
At a group management level the Ministry has also decided that all agencies and institutions should sign independent agreements, including the Danish Energy Agency and the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI).

The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) has already signed a Curve Breaker Agreement. Although the Danish Electricity Saving Trust is now part of the Ministry of Climate and Energy, it already had an in-house Curve Breaker Agreement in place before the Ministry took a decision to commit itself to saving electricity.

We need to lead
‘As the Ministry of Climate and Energy we need to take the lead, and we are doing just that by signing the agreement,’ says Emil Brødsgaard, the person responsible for energy in the Ministry.

He points out, however, that the department has had energy savings on the agenda from the inception of the Ministry in November 2007: The Minister has LED lighting in the office; staff have started to use the latest LED office lamps recently launched on the market – with 50 purchased already; and AutoPowerOff plug banks are making an impact in offices. Corridor lights are controlled by motion sensors, and the Ministry is also considering whether to install light and motion sensors in the offices. The Ministry also wants to switch to using notebook computers.

Help to set ambitious target
‘We are already pleased with the support provided by the Trust. For instance, we weren’t sure how much we could save. Now we are better informed we can set an ambitious, yet realistic target,’ says Emil Brødsgaard, who can count on his colleagues’ support for his efforts.