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Parliamentary Dinner

Smart-e Buildings for Smart People

Wednesday, 7 December 2011, 18:00-21:30, Members Salon, European Parliament, Brussels

 

Small actions can lead to big savings on your energy bills. Our heating, cooking and overall household behaviour influence how much energy we consume and how big our bills are.

At the EUFORES parliamentary debate, Eleanor Smith, EREC Policy Officer and project coordinator of the Smart-e Buildings project, presented the Smart-e Buildings campaign. It is an EU-wide mobilisation campaign that invites EU citizens, buildings owners, and public authorities to interact, get informed and act to create smart energy buildings. The campaign wants to reach those groups via its interactive web portal and social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

Pascal Durdu, a Belgium national, made an inspirational presentation on how he renovated his house. He wanted to know how much he can save on his energy bills if he exchanges his windows, installs solar panels on the roof and changes his consumption behaviour in his own kingdom called "my home". The result was astonishing. "There are many different ways how to save energy - de-freeze your food in the fridge or put the lid on the pot while cooking. It is the best to start with small actions because those reduce your energy bill significantly and then do bigger investment projects," he confessed.

Livia Tirone, a distinguished Portugeese architect, presented the role of values in the process of creating more sustainable and energy efficient building environment. The strategy how we achieve our goals should come out of the shared values. She also commented on the target discussion of the EU Member States: "The point is not a target but how we can get everybody involved, " she emphasised. In this perspective, a campaign such as the Smart-e Buildings campaign can play a pivotal role.

 

Here you can find more information on the Smart-e Buildings campaign.

Please find the programme here.