The ultimate goal of the project is to accelerate energy efficiency market formation activities for the implementation of Rational Use of Energy (RUE) and Energy Efficiency measures in as many as possible municipalities of the countries involved (mainly NAS, but also some regions of the participating EU Member States) through the appropriate training of municipal energy managers.

The focus of the technical part of the training is on the identification of energy efficiency possibilities in three key technological areas:

• municipal lighting,
• public buildings, and
• district energy (heating/cooling) systems.

In the second part of the training session, the trainees are taught the principles of demand-side management (financial engineering) and least-cost planning (business planning), and how these principles could be applied by local authorities, in order to obtain the prowess to develop business plans for bankable energy efficiency projects, covering both technical and financial issues.