Small and medium-sized enterprises need help to do their energy audits and we are on the last 50 meters for the establishment of an investment fund in energy efficiency, to subsidize part of the audits for SMEs, said in a conference on energy topics, Cristian Ilie, general manager of the “Energy Efficiency” Directorate of the Ministry of Energy.
“We are on the last hundred meters, or maybe even the last 50 meters, for the establishment of an energy efficiency investment fund, and it will help subsidize, part of the audits for SMEs. Because we are talking about SMEs. Big companies take care of energy efficiency. Big companies are even obliged by law to have an energy manager to optimize their consumption. On the other hand, for SMEs, which are the majority of companies in Romania, this does not exist. That’s why I think that this help is necessary, one – to be able to do their energy audits, to know how they could reduce their consumption, and, secondly, for the promotion of performance energy services, those ESCOs,” explained Cristian Ilie, according to Agerpres.
He added that there is also a draft Government Decision, which will be released soon, regarding the framework contract for the project, for ESCO contracts, for UATs.
The director of the Ministry of Energy also emphasized that from the point of view of energy efficiency, there is an obligation for central and local public administration buildings to be made more efficient and there is money for that.
“The Ministry of Development, for the building space, has the obligation to take the measures. In fact, even localities with over 20,000 inhabitants have the obligation to have an energy manager who can optimize the flows, be able to make proposals to reduce consumption every year, to make it more efficient. So lighting first, let’s switch to LED, or transport, let’s have electric transport, energy management systems(…) Energy efficiency does not mean putting a blanket over us or staying in the dark. It means to have the same level of comfort, maybe more, but with lower consumption,” said Cristian Ilie.