European workshop discusses quality assurance business model for energy efficiency services
05/01/2018
Prague – Czech partners for the QualitEE project – SEVEn – held a half day workshop for European and Czech stakeholders to discuss existing best practices and potential new business models for quality assurance of energy efficiency services. The Czech Society for Quality set the scene by outlining the organisational structure and key roles for quality certification. Klemens Leutgob of e7 introduced the recently launched DECA (Austrian ESCO association) quality label for energy efficiency services. The quality criteria from this scheme have formed the starting point for the QualitEE project’s guidelines, which were presented and discussed. Jaroslav Maroušek of SEVEn contributed to the discussion with his presentation on potential risks and opportunities relating to the quality criteria. The Department Director for Energy Efficiency and Savings at the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vladimír Sochor, shared proposals for the forthcoming Czech quality scheme for energy efficiency services and Nick Keegan from EEVS Insight gave an overview of CHPQA, a long running quality assurance scheme for combined heat and power in the UK. Jana Szomolányiová of SEVEn presented outcomes from the QualitEE project’s extensive 2017 market research survey, which received responses from over 180 active ESCO companies and facilitators. Key results from the research relating to the feasibility of quality assurance schemes provided the backdrop for a panel session, where the speakers were joined by energy efficiency services expert Vladimíra Henelová of Enviros, and recommendations for the development of the Czech quality assurance scheme were debated.