4 THE RoLE oF HoUSEHoLDS IN DANISH ENERGY PoLICY …
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to local craftsmen on commercial terms. The municipality facilitated
meetings and dialogue with the local craftsmen in order to inspire them
to take the training at the Knowledge Center, and provided a framework on how to approach private homeowners with energy saving
advice. The course introduced the local craftsmen to energy related
aspects of building renovations across different professions. Based on
this course, the craftsmen advised homeowners about when it would be
suitable to think about energy optimizations, and they started recommending each other, when they saw that complementary services were
needed. The project gained political endorsement in the municipality due to the perspective of strengthening the business plans of local
craftsmen.
Besides the partnership with the local craftsmen and the Knowledge
Center, the municipality also developed a framework concerning further
financial incentives for the homeowners. This involved the local utility
company that could reimburse the private homeowners with 1 DKK per
saved kWh, if the local craftsmen filled out a quality documentation of
the energy savings (Escommuner 2013; Westergaard 2011). This reimbursement was based on the commitment that utilities have towards
the Danish state to apply a certain amount of their income to carry out
energy saving initiatives. A local bank agreed to provide more attractive
loans for private homeowners that needed finance to carry out this kind
of energy renovation (Jensen and Quitzau 2017). This was driven by the
prospect of increased local opportunities and a possibility to market their
local embeddedness and sustainability profile through involvement in the
project.
By shifting the focus towards multi-actor engagement including craft
professions, financial services and utilities, the municipality has developed
a more ‘structural’ perspective that acknowledges renovation practices
among homeowners. The case represents a good example of how such
perspectives can include and address several complex situations related to
energy renovations of private homes.
ConCLusion
Although the Danish electricity system has come to utilize high levels
of wind power over the years, and the Danish heating system to a large
extent is based on district heating, Denmark still needs considerable
43
to local craftsmen on commercial terms. The municipality facilitated
meetings and dialogue with the local craftsmen in order to inspire them
to take the training at the Knowledge Center, and provided a framework on how to approach private homeowners with energy saving
advice. The course introduced the local craftsmen to energy related
aspects of building renovations across different professions. Based on
this course, the craftsmen advised homeowners about when it would be
suitable to think about energy optimizations, and they started recommending each other, when they saw that complementary services were
needed. The project gained political endorsement in the municipality due to the perspective of strengthening the business plans of local
craftsmen.
Besides the partnership with the local craftsmen and the Knowledge
Center, the municipality also developed a framework concerning further
financial incentives for the homeowners. This involved the local utility
company that could reimburse the private homeowners with 1 DKK per
saved kWh, if the local craftsmen filled out a quality documentation of
the energy savings (Escommuner 2013; Westergaard 2011). This reimbursement was based on the commitment that utilities have towards
the Danish state to apply a certain amount of their income to carry out
energy saving initiatives. A local bank agreed to provide more attractive
loans for private homeowners that needed finance to carry out this kind
of energy renovation (Jensen and Quitzau 2017). This was driven by the
prospect of increased local opportunities and a possibility to market their
local embeddedness and sustainability profile through involvement in the
project.
By shifting the focus towards multi-actor engagement including craft
professions, financial services and utilities, the municipality has developed
a more ‘structural’ perspective that acknowledges renovation practices
among homeowners. The case represents a good example of how such
perspectives can include and address several complex situations related to
energy renovations of private homes.
ConCLusion
Although the Danish electricity system has come to utilize high levels
of wind power over the years, and the Danish heating system to a large
extent is based on district heating, Denmark still needs considerable