Press Announcement: Energy Days 2016 – the energy transition is going local

Brussels, 23 May 2016 – Citizens and stakeholders are organising European Union Energy Days throughout the month of June to activate the transition to secure, clean and efficient energy.  Held as part of EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), presentations, workshops, conferences, tours, displays and other activities will spread the word about energy-efficiency and renewables.  The events, which will take place in Europe and beyond, are expected to attract thousands of visitors. Over 30 Energy Days are planned for Brussels alone around the EUSEW Policy Conference and Sustainable Energy Awards.

For a taste of the activities on offer, here are some of the proposed Energy Days:

• Diamond Solar Cooking Show – a public solar-cooking tutorial in Limassol Cyprus, with a chance to try the results and a children’s solar-cooker workshop
• HalfScreen Day – a month-long campaign across Luxembourg to persuade computer users to switch off that second screen to save energy
• E-Drive Day – an open day at the H2 research centre in South Tyrol, Italy, where the public can learn about hydrogen production and test different electric vehicles
• Discover Molenbeek through its Sustainable Buildings – a guided tour of the Brussels municipality, showcasing its sustainable solutions to citizens’ needs
• Energy Poverty in South-East Europe – a high-level stakeholder debate in Brussels on measures to reduce South-East Europe’s energy poverty, organised by the REACH project

Discover Energy Days near you on the Energy Week map.

If you want to organise an event yourself, there is still time - the deadline for registrations is 31 May. Support for organisers is at hand with EUSEW guidelines and promotional materials, along with an online event registration form.

 About Energy Days

Organised by private citizens, consumer associations, public bodies, city networks, energy agencies, trade and industry organisations, businesses and NGOs, Energy Days promote the transition to Europe’s sustainable energy future. They are targeted at diverse audiences, from families interested in saving energy to industries keen to green their technology. 

Any activity can be an Energy Day, as long as it engages citizens and energy stakeholders in building the Energy Union. This year’s events can be in any region in the European Union or 13 associated countries and can take place over any length of time, from a few hours to the whole Energy Week month!

Power to the consumer

Consumers are being empowered by EU actions to reduce energy poverty and vulnerability, to develop an energy market that boosts competition, to protect citizens’ personal energy consumption data and to support citizens to engage directly in energy markets as prosumers – producing energy as well as consuming it.

This year, citizens and local authorities are invited to take the lead in promoting renewables. Now going from strength to strength, this sector is breaking through early consumer resistance, so that a wider public can access its opportunities.

By helping consumers learn more about renewables and invest in the next generation of clean energy, citizens and public bodies can create value in a growing sector, spread development risks and rewards more evenly, and allow consumers to get involved directly in sourcing their energy from renewables.  Consumer engagement doesn’t just bring energy to building the renewables sector, it frees up public authority and project promoter time and resources to use elsewhere.

EU Sustainable Energy Week

Energy Days are a major part of European Sustainable Energy Week, a month-long series of activities to build a secure energy future for Europe. It includes the EUSEW Policy Conference, Energy Days and Networking Village and the EU Sustainable Energy Awards.  Launched in 2006, EUSEW is organised by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) in close cooperation with Directorate-General for Energy. It brings together public authorities, private companies, NGOs and consumers to promote initiatives to save energy and move towards renewables for clean, secure and efficient power.

This year’s Policy Conference will take place in Brussels 14-16 June, to debate new policy developments, best practices, initiatives and ideas concerning sustainable energy, with a focus on the power of consumers and citizens. The Networking Village complements the Policy Conference, to explore policies and projects with stakeholder and EU institution representatives, and meet like-minded participants for future cooperation.

The Sustainable Energy Awards take place on day one of the Conference. These recognise outstanding innovation in energy efficiency and renewables. Winners will be chosen from a shortlist of nine of the year’s most successful projects for clean, secure and efficient energy, with prizes from an expert jury in three categories (consumers, public sector, businesses) and a further prize from European citizens through a public vote.

Sign up for the EUSEW Policy Conference before 8 June!

Consult the Conference programme for more information!

Social media

EU Sustainable Energy Week is more than an event; it is also a strong community – follow us on our social channels!

• Twitter: @euenergyweek #EUSEW16
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