Frankfurt: Energy consultancy as an instrument of climate protection policy

Abstract:

In Frankfurt on Main communicative efforts were made by the municipal energy department to increase awareness for climate protection measures. In the winter of 1994/1995 an extensive public campaign got a great deal of interest and led to a beneficial information exchange between the authority and the energy users. The information input has also helped to establish a regular consultancy service. The results of the Frankfurt Climate Campaign can act as a model for the following reasons:

• public highlighting of the ecological problems resulting from energy consumption;
• providing local urban energy-related information to the community;
• identifying the right combination of motivation strategies;
• establishing interactive communication with the customer;
• offering direct individual energy checks;
• turning a temporary information campaign into an on-going consultancy;
• designing an information and advice hierarchy.

Concept and aims

Information and consultancy is steadily becoming an important task of municipal energy departments. However, this tool has to be tested in order to be established as a suitable instrument of local urban climate protection policy. As the energy advisers have to identify the requirements of consultancy, information exchange between the municipal authority and the targets groups in certain areas of energy saving has become a key element of this process. In addition the setting up of an on- going consultancy has to be worked out by building professional capacities.

Werner Neumann, the head of the Energy Department of the City of Frankfurt, stresses the fact that the dilemma is with households; those who urgently need to reduce their costs, do not have the money for efficient and profitable investments and, vice versa, households which would have enough money for saving measures and solar technology scarcely take any note of the energy bills in their bank accounts. He also underlines that with the usual combination of themes like protecting the environment and saving money it can be observed that in most cases saving energy is associated with constraints. In consequence, the authorities and energy consultancy service have to work against the popular misconception that increased energy consumption has something to do with prosperity. Therefore, an efficient information and consultancy policy is at least for two basic reasons worthwhile from the municipal energy departmentpoint of view:

1. Often the measures and programmes for a rational energy supply and use do not reach those customers who have major saving potentials as these energy users themselves are not aware of environmentally friendly alternatives.
2. There is very limited awareness about the connected problems of climate protection and energy supply and energy use. In consequence, energy savings are mainly regarded as measures of money saving rather than a contribution to the energy balance. However, like most other environmental protection approaches, energy saving is best served by means a holistic solution.

From the energy departmentpoint of view the starting point of a climate protection policy in the field of energy savings has to be motivation and stimuli of target groups in combination with incentives. Hence some preconditions must be met if the aim is to establish successful savings programmes:

• Motivation has to address the problems of environment and climate protection in the context of practical solutions;
• The provision of incentives should pay tribute to the fact that environmental protection has to be a challenge for large parts of the population. Therefore, the campaign and the energy-saving solutions have to be attractive and convincing.

However, even a suitable support programme or an incentive for a certain measure has to be "sold" to the people. The problem is how to raise interest and how to make people eager to consider their special energy saving options.

Implementation and impacts

In Frankfurt the climate campaign tried to put the issue on the agenda by a spectacular press campaign. In summer 1994 the Umlandverband Frankfurt/Rhein-Main (UVF) (Frankfurt Rhine-Main Regional Association) firstly brought public attention to the problem of nitrogen oxide emissions by publishing coloured maps of the emissions of NO_x by street by streets in the high-circulation daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau. With the help of the geographic information system every single district was individually pictured. The overall maps could be purchased from the UVF. This campaign on the subject of urban climate was a major success, but it proved to be difficult to give concrete advice on how to remedy the situation. Therefore, at the next step more detailed maps with NO_x, SO₂ and CO₂ emissions, and the offer for advice on energy savings, were to be put together. At the second stage of the campaign the maps on various parts of the city were published over a period of nine weeks, from the end of November 1994 to the end of January 1995.

However, for editorial reasons this presentation could not fulfil the expectations. CO₂ or SO₂ maps could only present the absolute emissions related to the building block or emission per square metre of dwelling space. In the former case, the city centre came off worse because of the higher construction density. In the latter case, the suburbs had high specific emissions because of lower building density but an older building structure and more use of oil-fired heating. Despite the colour presentation of CO₂ emissions certain intellectual skills were required to interpret this. Further presentations were limited to SO₂ as the best legible colour pictures and the one with the simplest differentiations (in line with the distribution of gas and oil heating). Thus, it was decided that the problem of heating has to be highlighted. It proved to be very useful that, together with the weekly presentation of the maps, the Frankfurter Rundschau always gave the contact address of the advice offers of the Energy Department at the UVFjoint Climate Office. The next day reports of requests and contents of advice were given in the Frankfurter Rundschau ranging from heat insulation through high efficiency burners to solar technology.

Nevertheless, the responses were somewhat sluggish which is partly due to the demotivating very warm weather conditions at the beginning of December 1994, as well as to the busy time schedule of most people at Christmas time. At the end of December an additional offer was introduced as so far the press had not found the campaign gritty enough. Another article was published which presented a brief overview of the CO₂ problem and the background to the campaign. Furthermore, a specific consultancy service on assessing individual energy situations was offered if a list of the heating and electricity costs for the last year plus the chimney sweep's report was sent to the advice team. The request to send in consumption data met with a large response. The interested parties were given a statement as to whether they were consuming too much, or if they were in the average range. In addition, many families discussed whether the heating is turned too high or not. In some cases serious deficits in information on viable opportunities for the efficient use of energy appeared. Questions like, how can we protect the climate if there is no common knowledge of the scale of consumption, turned out to be asked quite often. In addition, the communication process between the energy advisers and the energy customers revealed a number of shortcomings in the individual energy balances or the heating bills. Some typical cases demonstrate the variety of problems:

• There have been cases in which people are supplied with district heating at full cost (90-120 DM/MWh) while others are supplied with oil and gas at the fuel cost only (35-50 DM/MWh). Even for energy consultants, heating costs or distribution costs are often difficult to understand and in practice tenants scarcely have an opportunity to check them, never mind to examine their plausibility.
• In other cases the final energy consumption is influenced by building fabric, the degree of utilisation of the boiler and the users' behaviour. The latter factors cannot be distinguished on this level, but high consumption is reason enough for examining the situation in detail. Monthly heating costs vary between 0.50 and 1.50 DM per square metre dwelling per month. These are typical situations which prompt people to ask whether they also have to pay for the excessive heating of neighbours or whether they have to heat their neighbour's apartment because of the poor quality of the walls.
• The chimney sweep's reports enclosed regularly offered valuable information by detailing the size of the installed boiler which can be related to consumption (e.g. full capacity hours) and to dwelling space, especially if they are over-dimensioned. The age of the heating system and waste gas losses give information about the need for modernisation. Electricity consumption was put in relation to dwelling space or the number of people by taking average values. Often such factors cannot be analysed by the customers themselves.

It became obvious that such areas of assessment have to be given priority if the customer is to be encouraged to take individual measures for climate protection and energy saving. In summary, the initial consultancy could be offered to interested parties but certainly it did not have the comprehensive quality of a typical engineering report. However, this energy check list approach can be regarded as a starting point for all those with above average consumption to examine their situation more closely. The next step would be a detailed study by the energy department or an engineering office.

The experience of the Frankfurt climate campaign led to mutual learning processes and gave the energy department new access to motivation in the field of climate protection and energy saving. It became clear that the local situation is the key to address a whole range of different forms of motivation. This can be the urban climate in the district, complaints about summer or winter smog, trouble with the individual heating bill or complaints about the heating system by the chimney sweep. It became obvious that an albeit small proportion of the population does focus its attention on heating and electricity bills. Often they mix up kWh, kW and cbm (or the popular false unit kWh). It is important to supply fundamental knowledge and basic information as, from the response to the campaign, one can assume that cusomers are willing to play an active role in energy saving if they know how to act. Therefore, increasing motivation should not be separated from simultaneously identifying opportunities for action. The realisation that people can do something for themselves can create further motivation. The mere propagation of tips normally does not provoke a broad reaction. Nor do complicated questionnaires on the individual CO₂ balance if these do not contain any hints on reducing emissions. What is decisive is the link between an understandable presentation of the problem with practical solutions and the creation of a link to the individual situation. Such information has to be put forward as an on-going motivation and advice campaign.

In the first place this policy requires establishing an accepted relationship with the potential target groups. An appropriate opportunity is the incorporation of such activities into the services of chimney sweeps. Their task is not only institutionalised but they are normally seen as a trustworthy partner in heating matters. in their work they have access to every heating system, every house, every house owner. Using these data, chimney sweeps could draw up a simple energy check which can be extend to the intermittent check of waste gas losses and to a general energy check. In consequence, only a limited amount of data has to be recorded as it is possible to calculate the energy parameter as an assessment parameter from energy consumption and dwelling area. Furthermore, from the size of the boiler and consumption one can derive information on excessive heating. In addition, the energy department can examine whether the heating pump is too big. On the basis of this information the municipality could approach the propertyowners directly and if the check reveals potential for energy savings they could send them an extensive offer of energy consultancy.

Once consultancy has taken place, the next problem is to find the right skilled craftsmen who are able to implement measures according to the proposals of the consultancy report. Furthermore, the products must also be available at more or less the price quoted in the consultancy. For that reason the consultancy should not, as it is often the case, elaborate a full-packed information report, but should be short and to the point and contain the relevant documents for obtaining a quote. What is important for success is that the customer can have the offer checked by the consultants as to whether it corresponds in price and scale to the recommended measure. In this the case a relatively high rate of implementation should be reached.

In Frankfurt this practice leads to the creation of the so-called consultancy pyramid which serves the needs of the customer as well as the energy department itself. Five steps are essentially required:

1. Broadly-based initial consultancy by the chimney sweeps.
2. Selection of cases in which major savings potential has been identified.
3. Offers for intensive consultancy by qualified consultancy officers.
4. Providing and testing documentation for bids and offers and ensuring that the consultancy recommendations are correctly implemented.
5. Finally, the success of the campaign has to be demonstrated by publishing case study reports and a summarising analysis.

Whereas such consultancy is mainly an interactive communication tool, it can be supported by subsidiary activities of information giving. The Frankfurt Energy Department has worked out various others publications and projects in order to stimulate the activities in the area of energy saving.

The Frankfurt Savings and Subsidies Manual contains an overview of all savings opportunities, ranging from insulation to heating, solar technology to household appliances and information on all the assistance and subsidy programmes which are on offer in Frankfurt. Access to financial assistance is an important incentive. The manual is not only used to promote opportunities for co-financing but also includes details on the manufacturers and suppliers of those specific technologies which are advocated. This means that the reader of this information knows where to find what he needs. This is highly important as no single company can be found which offers exactly the right kind of heat insulation, high efficiency burners or solar plants. Of a distribution of 10,000 copies, 3,000 are sent directly to the Association of House and Site Owners. Furthermore, a new edition publication of 20,000 copies will be disseminated with the sponsorship of the Frankfurt Savings Bank (Sparkasse) through its branches to people taking out bank loans.

Another project is conducted at schools where children are instructed to make energy saving lamps. A lamp is known to contain a bulb. It is currently very popular to advocate energy saving bulbs, not only because these are efficient and reduce CO₂ on a cost effective level but also because it seems simple. However, given their construction, energy saving bulbs do not fit in all lamps or they produce a different light atmosphere. Hence, in 1992 and again at the beginning of 1995, two workshops with school classes have been held which offered the opportunity to design and build lamps for energy saving bulbs. This project, in co-operation with the Environmental Exhibition Association was at the same time a project in which the question of climate protection was linked in a concrete manner to our concept of environmental learning for young people.

In 1992 an electricity saving exhibition was opened. The exhibition shows the many opportunities for saving electricity in household appliances, lighting, for hidden uses, especially standby functions, and computers. A brochure describing the exhibition can be obtained from the Energy Department. In 1995 the exhibition is going to travel round several cities.

Another information tool is the energy tour which has been developed in co-operation with and for the Climate Alliance. The energy department offers nine short tips to demonstrate how everybody can make his or her own contribution to reducing CO₂ simply, and at low cost.

Source of Information

Neumann, Werner 1992: Aktivitäten des Frankfurter Energiereferats, in: Kima-Bündnis / Alianza del Clima, (Hg.), Klima-Bündnis der europäischen Städte mit indigenen Völker der Regenwälder zum Erhalt der Erdatmosphäre. Tagungsband zur Energie-Tagung der Klima-Bündnis-Städte 1. und 2. September 1992 Frankfurt/M, Franfurt/M, S. 59-75

Neumann, Werner 1996: Information, consultancy, motivation. The Frankfurt climate campaign, in: EA.UE, (ed.), Facing the Challenge. Successful Climate Policies in European Cities, Berlin, pp. 41- 45

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Cities:

Frankfurt/M :

The City of Frankfurt is the biggest city in the Land of Hesse and the centre of the Rhine-Main area. Frankfurt is well known as a banking place and its stockmarket. It also hosts important exhibitions and has a university. The industrial structure is dominated by chemical and electronic industries.

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Project was added at 25.06.1996
Project was changed at 12.01.2004

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