Dalarna County wins prize for energy-efficiency initiative

Dalarna County Council is “best in class” when it comes to conserving energy, and has been chosen by the consulting engineering company Sweco to receive the 25th consecutive Swedish Energy Prize in a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm.

“We have reduced our energy usage by half and already met the Swedish Parliament’s targets for heating and electricity consumption for the year 2020,” says a pleased Jan Sjöberg, Head of the Dalarna County Property Management Department.

The Swedish Energy Prize is a competition for technical ideas and innovations that have been tested in real life and proven effective in saving energy.

“Dalarna has Sweden’s most energy-efficient county council and its Property Management Department has demonstrated a deep and lasting commitment to energy issues. This is a truly worthy winner as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the prize,” says Karin Annerwall Parö, jury member and President of Sweco Systems.

The county-owned properties in Dalarna consist mainly of hospitals and other healthcare buildings that often operate around the clock and are full of technologically advanced and energy-consuming equipment.

“There is obviously a great deal of money to be saved by using energy more -efficiently. Another driver for our efforts is to protect the environment. I am satisfied that we have succeeded in saving energy without sacrificing a good indoor climate for the people who use and work in the properties,” says Jan Sjöberg.

He points out several factors that have helped the county to cut energy costs. The Property Management Department has pursued an active, long-term energy conservation initiative in which measurement and performance monitoring are important components, and has invested in new and more energy-efficient technology in connection with rebuilding and renovation.

“We have also created incentives for those in charge of operating the facilities and taken steps to change the behaviour of the people who use them, such as environmental contracts offering lower rents for clinics and patient wards that work actively to conserve energy,” says Jan Sjöberg.

The prize ceremony will be held on 20 November 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm.