Energy Efficiency Service Providers
The REFINE Project defines an Energy Efficiency Service Provider (EES) as a company that offers energy efficiency services to its clients. Another term frequently used in this context is ESCO (energy service company), but this term is mostly connected to the provision of energy performance contracting (EPC) or energy supply contracting (ESC), which are specific forms of energy efficiency services.
EES providers offer a wide range of services such as energy analysis and audits, energy monitoring and management, project design and implementation and the supply of energy efficient equipment to their clients.
What REFINE means for EES providers
REFINE will implement a thorough analysis of good practice refinancing schemes in EES businesses in individual countries, the wider European Union and beyond.
REFINE will host two, half-day European stakeholder workshops and two, half-day national stakeholder workshops which will include EES providers in the hopes of obtaining feedback and market expertise in the development of REFINE’s instruments and tools.
REFINE will develop a set of contract stipulations relevant for the refinancing of EES projects, developed and adjusted for national specifics to increase the refinanceability of services.
REFINE will develop business models for specified facilitation services relevant for the refinancing of EES projects, tested across 13 pilot applications.
REFINE will create a Database on refinancing instruments for EES projects available in participating countries, which will provide information on the national and international discussion on the refinancing of EES schemes.
REFINE will develop training materials as a result of a series of training events and online webinars which will be hosted. These training materials will consist of presentation slides, e-learning modules, short learning video as well as a capacity building web portal integrated into the project website. The content of the training materials will focus on EES providers covering the specifics of EES and markets, as well as the benefits of refinancing instruments, tools and services with respect to implementation, involved parties, cost structure, risk coverage, legal and financial implications.
REFINE will assist with the overall implementation of capacity building for EES providers, with the aim to guide them through the often-complex application of refinancing schemes and to mainstream refinancing schemes for EES projects in the future.