The SAVE ENERGY project had an informative and beneficial meeting at the European Parliament on 26th May 2011.

The objective of the meeting was to inform selected Members of European Parliament (MEPs) with links to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the SAVE ENERGY project work and results. The meeting was used to assist in developing strategy and policy ideas to maximize the long-term impact of the project, including through the SAVE ENERGY Green Paper.

The meeting was chaired by Maria Da Graça Carvalho (European People’s Party – Christian Democrats). Other participating MEPs included Claude Turmes (Greens/European Free Alliance) and Fiona Hall (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe). Alfredo Sousa de Jesus, an advisor to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and Jean-Marie Bemtgen, European Commission Project Officer for Energy Technologies & Research Coordination, also participated.

The SAVE ENERGY team was led by Mira Amaral (ex-Minister of Industry and Energy – Portugal) and Alvaro Oliveira (SAVE ENERGY Project coordinator), with José Basílio Simões (ISA), Manuel Nina (Alfamicro) and Douglas Thompson (SPI) in attendance.

After presentations from the SAVE ENERGY team, including the initial policy recommendations developed by the team on the SAVE ENERGY Green Paper, the general discussion focused on the following points:

• How to ensure the positive results in the pilots could continue to have an impact after the SAVE ENERGY project duration?
• How to ensure that people will purchase equipment with the required ICT features to help them manage their energy demand, when the benefits of their reduced demand could be long-run?
• Whether it should be made a legal obligation for all buildings to have sufficient energy sensors and energy management systems?
• What business models could be used to help ensure the supply of necessary ICT equipment to change energy user behaviour?

These discussion points are very relevant to the issues considered in the Green Paper. It was agreed that the SAVE ENERGY team would update the Green Paper, before providing a new version to the MEPs after European Commission approval. This new version of the Green Paper would then be discussed with the same MEPs and a plan to further present the Green Paper to a wider audience developed.

The SAVE ENERGY team would like to thank the MEPs and other participants for their time and inputs into the project and Green Paper.