Energy Efficient SMEs

The revised CO₂ Act has been in force since the beginning of 2013. The Act includes new requirements for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that wish to gain exemptions (e.g. from the CO₂ tax on fossil fuels) by entering into target agreements with the federal authorities. The target agreements include a wide range of instruments designed to increase an enterprise’s energy efficiency while at the same time reducing its CO₂ emissions. For instance, some enterprises may be able to replace CO₂-intensive fuels such as heating oil with natural gas or district heating. Many companies may be able to implement systems for enhanced waste-heat recovery.

Since the autumn of 2013, EBP has been auditing such target agreements on behalf of enterprises from various sectors. These audits include an assessment of enterprise statements regarding their current situations and lists some possible measures for reducing CO₂ emissions or for achieving energy savings in general. Assessments are also made to determine whether the sum of the proposed measures accurately reflects the potential of the enterprises in question.