Local Government Energy Planning

Overview

The overall objective of this annex was to investigate local government functions in energy conservation and utilisation of local energy resources in communities. As the level of government closest to the citizenry, local governments have a unique role to play in assisting their citizens to cope with the immediate pressures brought about by higher costs and uncertain supplies. For the longer term, local governments need to develop the planning and management capacity that can guarantee a reliable energy supply future and to adopt policies that correct historical oversights in efficient energy utilisation.

This task was initiated to identify innovative techniques that local governments can use to reduce energy consumption by their citizens, while preserving an acceptable standard of living and amenities. Educational programmes, grants and loans, and other devices are available to local governments to carry out this new role. One special area of interest was energy conservation in buildings where a landlord/tenant relationship exists.

Local governments need to strengthen their policy-setting and management processes in order to make effective and appropriate decisions. The work of this project was addressed to finding innovative solutions to these problems and sharing them among participating countries and others, determining the prospects for achieving local energy management by the activities of local government, and developing the capabilities of local governments to influence the application of techniques to achieve energy conservation.