…Valga – our new relay city in Estonia

The photo shows Mr Elmu Potter of the Regional Energy Centre in Estonia accepting the signed charter for Valga from Mr Gérard Magnin, the executive director of Energie-Cités.

Valga with its 14 700 inhabitants is situated in the south of Estonia right at the Latvian border. The town of Valga owns in total 22 buildings, of which the biggest share is made up of schools, kindergartens and administrative buildings. In 1995 renovation works mainly on heat sub-stations started. Other measures implemented are e.g. the installation of thermostatic valves, the replacement of old windows and several insulation works. These renovation works, together with the implementation of energy saving measures, have already led to a decrease in heat consumption of up to 20%.
Nevertheless, there are still refurbishments to be carried out to also decrease energy and water consumption. As energy and water costs consume 10% of the city’s budget, it is expected that with the help of Display substantial savings will be made.
Up to now 5 buildings are registered and the data for two more is already available. Thanks to Elmu Potter, who translated the calculation tool into Estonian, Valga is now able to enter buildings on its own.

…Kaunas – the first Lithuanian municipality to join Display

The city of Kaunas is situated at the confluence of the rivers Neris and Nemunas. In 1441 it became a Hanseatic city.
Nowadays Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania and a cultural, business and industrial centre. Out of its nearly 40 000 inhabitants approximately 3 500 are students, studying at one of the city’s seven universities.

To improve energy efficiency in public buildings many measures were implemented, e.g. improvement of the buildings’ thermal insulation, installation of thermostatic radiator valves, balancing of the heating systems. And now they are starting the Display Campaign to improve their communication with the building users. The calculation tool has been translated into Lithuanian and we hope to see some more Lithuanian cities joining the Campaign soon.

…the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly - More than 10 local authorities join Display for a reduced rate

The Yorkshire and Humber Assembly consists of representatives from 22 city councils, along with a range of social, economic and environmental organisations. One of its main tasks is to help shape where and what types of development will meet the future needs of the region and therefore work towards a sustainable future.

Last year, after a presentation of Display during a seminar in York focussed on improving energy use in local council buildings, the Assembly agreed to become an Associated Partner of the Display Campaign and it was agreed that a special deal would be possible if ten or more members of the Assembly joined before the end of 2005. Thanks to the encouragement of Andrew Cooper and Ruth Sherratt this deal became a reality and now all the other local authorities from the region still have the possibility to join this year at a reduced rate.

The following City Councils decided to take advantage of this special offer:
Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Ryedale, Sheffield ,York and Wakefield.

Due to the success of this arrangement we have decided to make it available to all regions throughout Europe. Take advantage of this offer, get at least ten municipalities together and join for half price! Contact Ian Turner if you are interested in joining as an Associated Partner of the Display Campaign at www.energie-cites.org/ian