EURONET 50/50 MAX
in figures

525

primary and secondary schools from

13

European countries implement the 50/50 methodology

98 891

pupils and

7 038

teachers undertake efforts to save at least

8%

of energy consumed in their schools

109

European municipalities use the 50/50 tools and

84

of them participated in our training sessions

56

municipalities extend the 50/50 action to other public buildings

155

local strategies and

26

educational strategies include the 50/50 concept

41

EU-level initiatives support the 50/50 Network

29

project observers regularly follow the project and its activities

408

local, regional and national authorities were contacted to include the 50/50 concept in their strategies

797

persons participated in the 50/50 promotional and dissemination events

More than 150 students and almost 20 teachers from 12 schools participated in EURONET 50/50 MAX final event celebration in Częstochowa on 15th of April 2016. The event took place in the Primary School no 21. The event was officially opened by Bożena Herbuś, City Engineer of Częstochowa.

PNEC prepared many attractions for students in the form of energy contest. Energy teams had 7 tasks to complete while visiting 7 stands. They were equipped with cards filled with task description and questions that students were supposed to complete. Each time, after providing a correct answer or completing the task, the team received colored card with a letter. After collecting all the letters, the teams could build up the project name - “EURONET” and pose to an energetic photo. The students had a lot of fun and their photos were full of positive energy and power!

logo FIESTAFIESTA (Families Intelligent Energy Saving Targeted Action) is a European project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme, that started in October 2014, which goal is to help families with children to save energy and related emissions at home by fostering improvements in their daily habits to make them more energy-efficient and, particularly, in their use of heating and cooling systems at home. For more information, please, visit our website: http://www.fiesta-audit.eu/en/

 

All institutions interested in the topic of encouraging energy savings in schools and other public buildings are invited to take part in the final conference of the EURONET 50/50 MAX project, which will take place in Brussels (Belgium) on the 16th of March 2016. Our project has come to an end and we have many interesting things to share with those who would like to implement the 50/50 energy-saving concept in their own buildings or help us promote this innovative methodology among local authorities all over Europe.

The 50/50 methodology has proven to be successful in changing energy consumption habits of building users and thus can significantly contribute to the achievement of local climate and energy goals. It also helps to raise new, energy aware and responsible generation.

During the event the participants will have a unique opportunity to learn about:

  • experiences and results of the EURONET 50/50 MAX project (over 500 schools and 50 other public buildings from 13 European countries striving to reduce their energy consumption by min. 8%);
  • practical aspects of implementation of the 50/50 methodology from the perspective of the school, other public building and the municipality;
  • current European programmes supporting projects and initiatives aiming at energy education of building users;
  • role of low-cost EE measures in local sustainable energy strategies and action plans.

Year 2015 is almost over and we are more than excited to see, how much energy Slovenian schools have saved this time. KSSENA, who is coordinating implementation of the project on the country level, already calculated savings achieved in 2014 and the results obtained were above our expectations. In average, the schools involved in the project (and there are 30 of them) reduced their energy consumption by 5,8 %. That means, that every school used approx. 22 000 kWh energy less than in the pervious years and that every school saved an average of 2 450 €! What is even more encouraging, altogether the schools emitted 234 tons of carbon dioxide less into the atmosphere. Way to go!

The EURONET 50/50 MAX project won the first prize in the IVth Competition for best practices in environmental education and urban sustainability in Andalusia. It was recognized as the most important initiative in the field of education, awareness raising, communication, participation and environmental performance in urban Andalusian environments.

The award was delivered by Teresa Muela Tudela, Director of the Department of Equality Policies and Networks (FAMP), and Peter Defranceschi, Head of the Brussels Office of ICLEI. The project was presented during the VI Meeting of Andalusian Experiences in Environmental Education and Urban Sustainability, organized by the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP) and held on Thursday, November 19, at the House of Culture of Bollullos Par del Condado, Huelva.

Malaga City Council (Andalusia, Spain) approved the proposal of the Malaga Ahora Municipal Group to join the 50/50 Network created within the EURONET 50/50 MAX project with the aim of developing the methodology of saving energy in public municipal buildings, starting with schools. 

If you want to read the complete text of the proposal (in spanish language), click here

 

 

Teachers and pupils from the Primary and Secondary School in Čáslavice (Vysočina region) consider it very important to ensure wide dissemination of the project and its continuation by the future pupils. Therefore one of the tasks of the energy team is forwarding energy knowledge and experience to their younger colleagues. Pupils from the ninth grade (15 years old), who graduate at the end of the school year, visit younger ones (about 10 years old), share experience gained within the EURONET 50/50 MAX project, explain activities of the energy team and demonstrate how the measuring devices work. At the end of this "lesson", they invite younger pupils to the energy team meeting. Pupils, who are interested in energy, come to visit and usually stay with the team. Sharing experience by the pupils under the supervision of the teachers, but without their involvement, is the best way of creating relationships and encouraging new pupils to join the project and become working on environmental issues. This practice supports independence of the pupils and raises their interest in the topic of energy efficiency. So first the project partner teaches and involves the teachers and the pupils, who then pass the baton to the new pupils, who weren't there at the beginning of the project.

Implementation of the 50/50 methodology in Cypriot schools is well in progress. At the end of the last school year - during April and May 2015 - meetings were arranged with 9 primary schools participating in the project. During the meetings the participants were given a comprehensive briefing on the project development and on the responsibilities of the school and the energy team. They also received so called "EURONET 50/50 MAX boxes" containing guidebooks ("Energy saving at school" and "50/50 step by step"), a set of measuring devices, caps and t-shirts with project logo, educational booklet with lesson scenarios and other educational materials (board game, stickers and posters with energy saving tips).

In total 40 teachers and 136 students are directly involved in the project, while more than 1900 are involved indirectly. Dedicated meetings were attended by the headmaster, the teachers coordinating the work of the energy team and - in some cases - also the students participating in the team. CEA\'s staff explained the attendants how to implement the 50/50 methodology step by step, how to use presented measuring devices, as well as went through the educational booklet and the lesson scenarios in order for the teachers to feel comfortable with them. Before the meetings, the schools were also asked to gather and provide electricity and heating bills, which will be later used to calculate the energy savings.

The overall feedback received from schools was positive and encouraging! The teachers highlighted that educational boxes will facilitate their work with the energy teams a lot. The students were really enthusiastic with the measuring devices, the posters and other material provided. The headmasters and teachers understood the 50/50 methodology and committed to engage all building users in the school’s efforts to save energy.

Barcelona Provincial Council organized a party in Barcelona Maritime Museum on 9th of June to celebrate the electricity and energy savings achieved by the schools during 2014: an average of 2.732 € per school. That means a reduction of 119 tonnes of CO2 emission to the atmosphere.

250 pupils and 22 teachers from 17 cities came to the party. They could enjoy exciting recreational activities. The activities were thought to invite the pupils to think about energy issues. So, playing and participating in different games and activities, they reinforced their knowledge of issues and concepts connected with the best ways to save energy.

Ending the party, the pupils enjoyed the spectacle of a famous Catalan science journalist called Dani Jimenez. During his action he did an overview of the different energy sources that have been used along the human history, since the prehistoric times until nowadays.

The party was fun, the pupils enjoyed the activities and Barcelona Provincial Council, as the project coordinator, had the opportunity to congratulate children for their work and the great results achieved in their schools during 2014.

The 1st cycle of implementation of the 50/50 methodology has been completed and it's time for its evaluation! We asked representatives of schools and other public buildings involved in the project about their experiences, opinions and suggestions for the future. Two questionnaires were prepared (for schools and for other buildings) and translated into all project languages. The feedback was collected via an e-form, which significantly simplified the process.

In total 314 schools and 12 other public buildings filled in the questionnaire and the feedback received was very positive. Most of the schools consider the project very interesting and useful, both from the pupils' and the teachers point of view. They believe that it has a lot of positive impacts and that - as a result - energy awareness, knowledge and consumption habits of the building users have changed a lot. There are, however, also some challenges that need to be tackled. The biggest one is finding time for project activities in the - rather hectic - everyday work schedule. The school days are full of action, the requirements of the curriculum need to be fulfilled and there are already many other projects going on. It is also challenging - especially in bigger schools - to get the whole school community involved, interested, aware and active. Still, the teachers put a lot of effort to successfully implement all steps of the 50/50 methodology, as they are convinced that saving energy and protecting the environment are so important, that they should be fitted in the school agenda anyway.

Feedback from schools

The experiences of the schools

The event, which was organised to award children for their hard work to save energy in the school year 2014/2015, was celebrated during the Enviroment World Day and within the framework of the EUSEW 2015. It was organised in close collaboration with the project observers (the Sustainability Department of the University of Huelva, the Provincial Energy Agency of Huelva and Europe Direct Huelva), who made its organisation possible.

Within the event, members of the energy teams created in Huelva\'s schools, held their own "1st Schools\' Meeting" taking place in the University of Huelva and aiming at dissemination and exchange of experience, results and actions taken in their schools during 2014/2015 to improve energy efficiency and to encourage more environmentally-friendly and sustainable use of energy resources.

Organised activities included "experience-sharing theatre", entertainmnet by animators and two outdoor activities - an energy gymkhana and a solar cooking workshop, where children could learn how to prepare meals using parabolic solar cookers and solar ovens.

More than 200 students and almost 30 teachers participated in EURONET 50/50 MAX celebration in Dąbrowa Górnicza on 29th of May 2015. The event took place in the city park and was joint with Days of Dąbrowa Górnicza City.

The event was officially opened by Deputy Mayor Henryk Zaguła and Marek Mrówka from Municipality of Dąbrowa Górnicza who emphasized the role of energy teams from 28 schools from Dąbrowa Górnicza which have saved almost 500 000 PLN.

FacebookWe are pleased to announce that now you can follow our activities, as well as activities and achievements of schools and other public buildings involved in the 50/50 Network, on Facebook. Join us not only to learn from the others but also to share your valuable experience and opinions!

There are over 500 schools, 60 municipalities and 48 other public buildings already involved in the EURONET 50/50 MAX project. Each of them has its own experience in energy education, energy saving and working with the energy teams. Use the opportunity to learn from them, get inspired by them and also share your own achievements, best practices and useful tips!
Link to our English Facebook profile is following: https://www.facebook.com/EURONETMAX

You may also follow country-level disputes on national Facebook profiles administered by EURONET 50/50 MAX partners. They can be accessed from different language versions of this website.

Once again, we would like to invite you to join our energy-saving community!

Educational guidebook for caretakersOur new guidebook entitled “How to handle the energy team” contains many useful tips how to organise energy tour around the school building and to help children analyze energy situation of their school. The publication is addressed to school caretakers who play very important role in the 50/50 project. As they best know the building, its energy system and appliances in use, they can help students find out how and where energy is used at school, as well as support them in implementation of energy-saving measures.

In the publication the caretakers will find guidelines how to organise the work with the energy team, how to prepare energy review of the school building, how to communicate with children and how to thoroughly discuss all energy sources used at school and necessary to its normal operation. The guidebook will also help caretakers to prepare for the possible questions raised by the pupils.

Although the guidebook is addressed to caretakers, also the teachers involved in the 50/50 project are invited to read the document. They will find here many useful information which they can use during their work with children, including information about model, low-cost energy-saving measures and modern technological solutions for clean and efficient energy production. It is worth to discuss them with students to increase their knowledge about energy production and consumption, however it should be remembered that bigger energy-related investment are not included in the EURONET 50/50 MAX project.

Currently, all project partners are busy involving schools and non-school buildings in the EURONET 50/50 MAX project. Our task is not easy, as we have to involve 500 new schools and nearly 50 other public buildings, but the interest in the 50/50 concept is great and more and more of these institutions join the 50/50 Network.

In order to help new network members to implement a 50/50 project we are organising national trainings / informative sessions, during which different aspects of the project are thoroughly discussed. Participants of these events learn how to implement the 50/50 methodology step by step and how to calculate energy savings achieved in the process. They also learn about the model agreements between local authorities and schools/non-school buildings involved in the project, as well as the reporting and evaluation processes. Soon, you will find here more information on the events organised in different countries.

If you are not part of the project yet, but would like to implement the 50/50 methodology in your building(s), please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Odbior nagrody dla projektu EURONET 50 50We are very happy to inform you that the first EURONET 50/50 project won the Sustainable Energy Europe Award 2013 in the category of “learning”! The awards are granted by the European Commission in order to give institutional recognition and to increase the visibility of the best sustainable energy initiatives implemented on the European level. This year, 244 projects were submitted for the award, therefore the competition was very tough!

The award ceremony was held in Brussels on the 24th of June, within the framework of the European Sustainable Energy Week. The award for the EURONET 50/50 was collected by the representatives of the Barcelona Provinical Council, who was the coordinator of the project, as well as of the project partners ALESA, UFU and Region of Crete.

The award proves that the EURONET 50/50 project was a great success and that the 50/50 methodology is worthy of further promotion among European public authorities, educational centres and managers of other public buildings. With such a good start we are convinced that the new edition of the EURONET 50/50 MAX project will bring even more impressive results!

We are pleased to announce that the EURONET 50/50 MAX project was officially launched during a project meeting and an open conference in Brussels, on the 13th and 14th of May.

The 50/50 conference entitled "Incentivising and empowering users to save energy in schools and public buildings" aimed to disseminate the results of the first EURONET 50/50 project and to promote the 50/50 concept among European institutions. The event started with the presentations from the European Commission (representatives of the EACI running Intelligent Energy Programme and from the DG Education and Culture) and the Covenant of Mayors Office who highlighted the contribution of the project to the achievement of European climate and energy goals.

The conference also gave an opportunity to learn about past experiences and successes related to the implementation of the 50/50 concept. Motivating presentations were given by the representatives of Hamburg city (the first city that applied the 50/50 methodology!), the Cornellà Council and one of the Finnish schools (Länsimetsän koulu). The conference was also an opportunity to officially inform about the launching of the second edition of the EURONET 50/50 project, entitled EURONET 50/50 MAX. The new project will achieve event better results by engaging 500 new schools in the 50/50 Network and testing the 50/50 concept in other public buildings.

The conference was accompanied by a project partners’ meeting during which they discussed their future tasks and the results to be achieved on the European and national levels.