Previous Winners

Who won last time?

The British company Centrica Business Services was the winner of the 2004/2005 "European Energy Trophy" competition. Centrica succeeded in reducing its energy consumption by over 31 percent compared to its baseline, and with this outpaced all other participants of the competition. Centrica achieved its reductions through an assessment and improved control of out of hours use of office equipment. This is now turned off regularly in the evenings and at weekends. In addition, a range of information and motivation measures for the company's employees has led to a more prudent use of energy.

Centrica estimates that its energy bill will be about 16.000 £ (24.000 Euro) lower than before. In addition, Centrica was awarded at the competition's official prize gala at Brussels. The main sponsor of the competition was the German company meteocontrol GmbH, a provider of sector specific energy and weather services.

"UK homeowners waste £6 billion a year through poor energy efficiency so as the country's largest energy supplier we are delighted to be leading by example and showing what can be achieved through behavioural change and the implementation of simple energy saving measures" states Noam Bleicher, Environmental Strategy Manager of Centrica.

Posters on the Energy Trophy
competition displayed by Dresdner
Bank in front of the cafeteria

But also companies with a very good energy balance such as the Dresdner Bank AG in Berlin were able to achieve significant energy savings. Dresdner Bank reduced its electricity consumption by 19 percent and its heating use by 21 percent. This is equal to about 100.000 Euros in saved costs per year. "The enthusiasm of our staff to save energy was magnificent and suits our professional engagement in the area of emissions trading and for renewable energy sources" according to Armin Sandhövel, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Dresdner Bank.

With this result, Dresdner Bank came in 3rd overall in the competition and at the same time received the national prize for Germany.

The other winners in the "European Energy Trophy" 2004/2005 competition were

• Ducati Motor Holdig spa (Italian national prize with 15.6 percent reduction)
• Electricité de France (French national prize with 7 percent energy savings)
• Biopetrol Kft (Hungarian national prize with 13.4 percent energy savings)
• Książnica Beskidzka (Polish national prize with 11.9 percent energy savings).

There is also a special prize for the best motivation and publicity campaign which was awarded to the administration of the Italian city of Bologna. Its energy manager developed a unique and exceptional photo series to motivate the staff to save energy and through this reduced the building's energy use by 8.7%.

The second special prize for the best municipality throughout Europe is awarded to the city of Viersen which used imaginative brochures and posters to encourage the municipal employees to save energy and through this reduced its energy consumption by nearly 9 %.