Firms lack expertise to take advantage of energy efficiency
The Cyprus Energy Agency, on behalf of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism has conducted a survey on the status quo of energy efficiency in Cypriot businesses and expectations for the future. Through analysis of the results, potential opportunities energy savings for businesses were unveiled.
The vast majority of businesses already have taken some steps to increase energy efficiency, mainly lighting replacement, implementation of management systems, and staff education. For the last two, the measures taken range from standardised procedures, like ISO50001, for larger companies to simple actions, like making sure devices are turned off before leaving, for smaller companies.
Energy efficient lighting and systems for heating and cooling (HVAC) are the measures with the highest interest. However, it is clear that the highest implementation is for simple and cheap measures, while measures with higher initial capital, regardless of the interest, is low. Energy renovations of buildings, energy upgrades of process equipment, and modernisation of fleet could result to great savings, yet are rarely implemented by SMEs due to high costs. Cypriot businesses require financial support from the government for the implementation of such measures.
Through targeted interviews that followed the survey, the differentiation of needs depending on industry sector was evident. Heavy industry is looking for opportunities to improve equipment for the production process, transport companies are in need to improve their fleet, and small retail shops could benefit from energy renovations the most. Businesses are, also, open to the possibility of collaboration in order to reduce energy and resource consumption. Despite the potential, there are currently limited applications in Cyprus working effectively. These can and should act as good examples to encourage others to take on similar ventures.
Overall, the majority of Cypriot businesses report that energy efficiency is of high or even extremely high interest. At the same time, it appears that many are unable to recognise the opportunities for them. This is evident with smaller businesses, which lack expert knowledge on the topic. Due to this lack of this knowledge, as well as the administrative work needed to access available funding, it appears that smaller businesses are unable to take advantage of financial incentives offered by the government.
The outcomes of the survey will build the basis for further awareness raising activities and alignment of governmental services and support within Cyprus, especially targeted for Cypriot enterprises. As a next step, the Ministry together with the Cyprus Energy Agency and the Environment Agency of Austria, will organise an event to present opportunities and best practice examples for businesses in Cyprus. Moreover, the Energy Efficiency Network of Cypriot Businesses, a new initiative to promote energy efficiency in the tertiary sector, will be presented at this event.
The survey was conducted by CEA on behalf of MECIT to identify status quo, trends and needs of Cypriot enterprises on the topic of Energy Efficiency. Additionally, targeted interviews with selected businesses were held.
The survey is part of a project to strengthen the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive in Cyprus conducted by Environment Agency Austria in cooperation with MECIT and CEA. The project is funded by the Structural Reform Support Service of the European Commission.
www.cea.org.cy