European Code of Conduct for Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)
07. 08. 2015
The European Code of Conduct for Energy Performance Contracting (hereafter "the Code") is a set of values and principles that are considered fundamental for the successful, professional and transparent implementation of Energy Performance Contracting ("EPC") projects in European countries. The Code, which was launched during the autumn 2014, is a voluntary commitment and is not legally binding. T
The EPC Code of Conduct consists of a set of nine guiding principles on EPC project implementation to support the high quality and transparency of European EPC markets.
The European Code of Conduct for EPC has been developed within the Intelligent Energy Europe project Transparense in co-operation with inter alia EPC providers, clients, facilitators and ESCO (Energy Service Companies) associations. It is endorsed by the two organisations representing ESCOs at the European level - eu.ESCO and EFIEES who significantly contributed by their comments to the quality of the final wording of the Code of Conduct.
Code has been generally welcomed by market players in all 20 European participating countries. Currently, there are 123 signatories, out of which 79 are EPC providers and 10 national associations of ESCOs. Until now, the greatest success of the Code has been reported from National ESCO conference in Amsterdam during which 21 ESCOs and 12 other market players signed the Code.
The Code of Conduct serves as a harmonized European quality standard of EPC projects. The key message of the Code of Conduct is that EPC represents a fair energy service business model. It has been already successfully used in introducing the clients into the EPC concept and has been seen as a unique selling proposition. However, the key to success is that EPC providers understand that they benefit from adhering to a set of rules for the EPC business due to an increase in trust on the client side and a resulting increase in demand for EPC projects.
For the clients, the Code functions as an EPC quality indicator on what they should expect and require from EPC providers and which principles they themselves should adhere to in order to achieve expected energy savings and related benefits. It can be used by governments, being major EPC clients, as minimum requirements for the EPC projects conducted on their property.
The EPC Code of Conduct is a voluntary commitment and is not legally binding. That is why it is important to implement the principles of the Code within the EPC contracts and tender dossiers. Thus the Code is especially useful in the EPC beginner markets, such as Bulgaria and Poland, where the Code will be implemented in the first EPC model contracts and tender dossiers by the governmental bodies.
Author: Jana Szomolányiová
This article was published in INSIGHT magazine (2/15) which can be downloaded at the publisher´s website www.eubac.org.
