Municipal Intelligent Energy Days was a series of events organised in Polish municipalities to raise the interest of local communities in energy efficiency issues, renewable energy sources and the relation between energy use and climate change. The project was funded from a grant awarded by the British Embassy to organise a series of interactive events. The first event was held on 6-7 September 2008 in Dzierżoniów and the last one, finalising the project, on 26-27 September 2009 in Bielawa.

Maria Stankiewicz, the Bureau Director and Anna Jaskuła, the Project Manager of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” talk about the project details.

British Embassy (BE): Can you remind us, where  the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days have been organised and what has been their goal?

PNEC: The Municipal Intelligent Energy Days were organised in 5 Polish municipalities: Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Ełk, Gorlice and Nowa Dęba. They provided an opportunity for local authorities to show their commitment to meet EU climate targets at the local level, to strengthen their relations with the local community and local organisations as well as disseminate information on energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources and climate protection.

BE: What criteria have you used to select the municipalities participating in the project?

PNEC: The municipalities that participate in the European project MODEL (Management of Domains related to Energy in Local authorities) were involved in the organisation of the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days. The aim of the project was to help local authorities to become a beacon – a model of how energy efficiencies can be applied by households and local organisations, including the local business community. An important element of the project was delivering good communication to the local communities involved.

BE: How many people have taken part in the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days and which elements of the programme have been the most attractive for the participants?

PNEC: Approximately 22,500 people participated in the project. Young people were particularly interested, especially in competitions addressed specifically to them. These activities included visits to renewable energy installations and generally were about broadening their knowledge on climate protection. The older participants of the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days were particularly interested in devices and installations presented by private companies, such as heat recuperators, biomass boilers or solar collectors. They also listened with great interest to advice given by specialists.  

BE: Have the local authorities, business and media shown any interest in the project?

PNEC: Yes the project has raised a lot of interest among those groups. Companies involved in developing and selling low carbon products such as solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, biomass boilers, energy efficient lighting, etc. were actively involved in the project. The media’s interest could be best seen in the number of articles related to the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days. There were many published in the local press and local TV and radio stations also aired interviews with the event organisers.

BE: What is your assessment of the knowledge and awareness of climate protection among the towns hosting the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days?

PNEC: No surveys have been conducted during the project. As event co-organisers, we can definitely say the programme raised a lot of interest and many people were eager to come and participate in the events. We noticed that householders were among those most interested. They asked questions about possibilities of installing renewable energy devices (such as solar collectors or biomass fireplaces) in their houses. They were also interested in financial instruments that could help them fund such investments. A lot of people wanted to know how they could easily save energy and thus save money.

BE: Have local communities undertaken any individual project initiatives aimed at climate protection as a result of the project?

PNEC: It is too soon to talk about long-term results of the project, such as local initiatives aimed at protecting the climate. However, we can say that the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days gave the participants an opportunity to get practical information about applying energy efficiency measures, using renewable energy sources and finding money to fund such initiatives. The large number of participants indicates we can expect an increase in the number of implemented thermo-modernisation projects and an increase in the use of renewable energy at the local level. Many have refrained from taking action because they did not know where to find funds for insulating their building or installing solar collectors on the roof.  We hope we have been able to help them.

BE: Which aspects of the project are you particularly satisfied with and why?

PNEC: We were glad to see so much interest in energy issues among the public, especially young people, who actively participated in the events organised as part of the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days, and sometimes even initiated their own projects by organising performances or events. We were also happy to see local authorities being so active. They really made a big effort to strengthen their relationships with the local communities.

BE: What could have been organised better? Do you plan to hold another edition of the project that would use the experience you have gained?

PNEC: More attention should have been given to the timing of events. Experience has shown people prefer outdoor events. Therefore, it would be better to have all the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days organised in the warm months of the year. We also found that it’s good to combine the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days with another longstanding event in the area. This way you can reach more people. As far as another edition of the project is concerned, we do not plan to hold an identical project. However, the Association has already submitted a number of other projects in which we plan to use the experience gained during the Municipal Intelligent Energy Days. The Association has recently become a Polish Supporting Structure of the Covenant of Mayors initiative. This is an ambitious initiative by the European Commission aimed at protecting the climate. Signatory cities are expected to organise, amongst other things, Energy Days and Covenant of Cities Days.

BE: How to start cooperation with your organisation?

PNEC: The Association is open to cooperation with various organisations, both Polish and foreign. The preferred form of cooperation is participation in joint projects focusing on climate protection and sustainable local development. We invite all those interested to visit our website, where you can learn about the Association’s activities and find the contact details.

BE: Thank you for the interview.

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