Greening Public Buildings: ESCO-Contracting in Danish Municipalities

Jesper Ole Jensen, Susanne Balslev Nielsen and Jesper Rohr Hansen
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Jesper Ole Jensen: Department of Town, Housing and Property, Danish Building Research Institute, A.C.Meyers Vænge 15, Copenhagen DK-2450, Denmark
Susanne Balslev Nielsen: Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygning 424, Kongens Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark
Jesper Rohr Hansen: Department of Town, Housing and Property, Danish Building Research Institute, A.C.Meyers Vænge 15, Copenhagen DK-2450, Denmark

Energies, 2013, vol. 6, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: This paper presents current research on Danish municipalities’ use of Energy Service Companies (ESCO) as a way to improve the standard of public buildings and to increase energy efficiency. In recent years more and more municipalities have used ESCO-contracts to retrofit existing public buildings, and to make them more energy efficient. At the moment 30 municipalities (of the 98 municipalities in Denmark) are involved in, or preparing, ESCO contracts. Nevertheless, ESCO-contracting still faces many challenges on the Danish market, as there is a widespread skepticism towards the concept amongst many stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the various experience gained so far by municipalities use of ESCO-contracting, the different approached to ESCO-contracting being used in practice, as well as the different viewpoints drivers and barriers behind the development. The strong growth in ESCO-contracts reflects that the ESCO-concept fits well with a number of present problems that municipalities are facing, as well as a flexible adaptation to the local context in different municipalities.

Keywords: Energy Service Companies (ESCO); municipalities; public buildings; energy savings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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