Successful energy and energy cost management on the local level requires engagement of a wide circle of stakeholders, whose involvement is essential for ensuring local energy transition (and the DUET project aims at ensuring that). The key target groups are the following:
- municipal decision makers and staff (in case of the DUET project, the decision makers, and staff of the Bydgoszcz city and the FUA/PNEC member municipalities) – implementation of local climate and energy targets often requires strict collaboration between the authorities and staff of neighbouring municipalities, who are interlinked among each other.
- The 17 municipalities that are part of the FUA of Bydgoszcz are jointly contracting energy and heat and thus should have a common strategy towards improving energy management. The city of Bydgoszcz, as a Covenant of Mayors signatory and the city with the professional energy management unit, is leading the way, however the common trainings and exchanges should help also other municipalities to develop and use appropriate energy management tools in the future and thus contribute to the energy transition of the region. All the municipalities involved (including expert municipalities from Gemany) can share their good practices and be the inspiration for each other. While making the decisions on long-term development goals, they can drive relevant resources for the process.
- Also other cities will be encouraged to benefit from the project and take part in some of the activities. These include the cities that are members of PNEC, as well as other Polish cities potentially interested in improving their energy management.
- municipal units consuming energy – the main energy consumers include schools, social housing units, municipal hospital, municipal departments, public lighting and public transport – all the institutions, buildings and infrastructure which are under the city management. Cooperation with them can help to visualise the main energy issues they tackle with (amount of energy consumption, invoices, analysis of energy data) and what they can improve to make the system work more efficiently. The municipal staff involved in the process can influence the progress towards climate neutrality.
- companies and private entities supplying electricity and heat to the city - these involve the stakeholders with whom the city of Bydgoszcz has signed contracts for energy supply, and which cooperate with the city in the field of energy data management. Within the project they can improve their own capacities and learn from good practices related with the improvement of energy efficiency. They will benefit from the workshops organised and tools developed and become more actively engaged in the development and implementation of the city’s (as well as the FUA municipalities) climate and energy policy.
- private companies and NGOs – private sector is also an important energy consumer. In order to achieve local climate and energy targets, also private and NGO sectors need to be involved as the public sector only constitutes for a limited amount of energy consumption and GHG emission. The DUET project considers this issue and proposes a methodology (local forums) to actively engage private and NGO sector in the energy transition. The NGO sector is especially relevant as it constitutes direct link with the citizens. It can help to multiply and disseminate project results, as well as build their own capacities related to the topic of energy. NGOs can show the perspective of community and propose improvements concerning public participation in energy management.