Other countries (again).........

Israel:

On November 30th 2010, Bait Venoy, together with the Israeli Green Building Council, will host a convention dedicated to "Green Building - Technologies, Methods and Applications". The convention will discuss new disciplines in building, with a strong focus on environmental building standards and regulations in Israel and around the world. The convention will address the distinct values of those standards and their important contribution to improving the quality of the environment in and around building projects as well as the quality-of-life standards for the individuals in the communities.
The convention will include a professional exhibition and present cutting-edge projects and technologies from around the world.
Israel’s standard 5281 for buildings with minimal environmental impact addresses four main areas: energy, water savings, land, and various ecological issues. The Intel building meets the Israeli standard at the “Outstanding Green Building” level. The Israeli standard is slated to undergo major revisions, and Erdan said at the ceremony that he would be working closely with the Standards Institute of Israel to ensure that the standard conformed more closely to international levels.http://www.iisbeisrael.org/eng_about_us.htm - very good website.


Denmark:

Energy use by households usually accounts for not only a large share of a country’s total energy consumption, but often also a significant share of energy wasted. Reducing this wastage could make an important contribution to tackling climate change by reducing CO2 emissions. Against the background of needless energy waste and climate change linked to rising atmospheric CO2 levels, the need for improved energy efficiency has swung into focus on the global agenda.

Energy saving
In Denmark, prevention of energy waste in households has long been a focus area, and successive governments have introduced a range of energy saving policy initiatives together with building regulations designed to help householders reduce energy consumption (and thus energy bills) and minimise the environmental impact

A tightened building code, including stipulations on insulation and tighter-sealing doors and windows lowered Denmark’s heating bill by 20% between 1975 and 2001, even though 30% more heated floor space was built in that period.
Energy rating
The energy rating of buildings in Denmark developed out of these initiatives, and schemes now in force are seen as an important way to achieve energy savings in buildings – both existing and new.
In the mid-1990s the Danish government began focusing on the energy efficiency of domestic appliances, and introduced both retailer and consumer incentives to encourage their uptake. Today, many appliances sold must carry a label which rates energy efficiency according to a graded scale based on EU rules. Nordic knowledge Being situated in northern latitudes, Denmark is well accustomed to the challenges of relatively cold winters and has developed considerable know-how in building homes that can be heated in highly energy- efficient and cost-saving ways. Not surprisingly, Danish companies can be found among the world leaders in insulation materials for roofs, walls and floors, energy monitoring and thermostat control systems, as well as solar panels, small wind turbines and – looking ahead to a possible future Hydrogen Society – domestic combined heat and power generators driven by zero-CO2 emission fuel cells.
Sustainable solutions
With the increasing demand among the world’s nations for carbon-neutral architecture and building materials, Danish architects and companies are featuring prominently at international trade fairs focusing on sustainable building solutions.
In Denmark, it has since 2005 been possible to buy various types of housing accredited with the Swan-labelled, the environmental symbol introduced by the Nordic Council of Ministers to show that the product is a good environmental choice. http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/Climate-Energy/Fact-Sheets/Energy-Efficiency-Do-You-Realize-The-Potential/

Switzerland:

Was really impressed when I read this (UK eco towns eat your heart out!) -

So far 120 Swiss local authorities have been designated "energy towns" – a sign of consistent and efficient energy policies.All the Swiss local authorities, cities and regions that have been labelled "energy towns" have made it their goal to reduce energy consumption, promote renewable sources, organise environmentally friendly transport and more.Thirty-seven per cent of Swiss live in an energy town and the list of local authorities involved runs from Aadorf to Zurich.The "energy town" label, which is based on a standardised catalogue of possible measures, has existed since 1997, although the concept dates back to the end of the 1980s. In 1993 the concept was formalised in the Federal Energy Office's Energy2000 programme and "energy town" was registered as a brand. Most energy towns are in the urban German-speaking parts of Switzerland. The only energy town in Italian-speaking Ticino is Mendrisio.

As a small country in the middle of Europe, Switzerland's energy policy is aligned with that of its neighbours. Switzerland is part of the western European power grid. In the summer it is able to export electricity, but in winter it generally has to import it. In 2005 for the first time it imported more than it exported.
Energy policy
The two main planks of Swiss energy policy are to promote the use of renewable resources and to encourage efficiency. The government sees this as particularly important in the face of the upcoming liberalisation of the European energy market, which Switzerland cannot avoid. Greater competition is likely to bring down the prices of fossil fuels. This would boost their use yet further, which would have a detrimental effect on the environment, undermining Switzerland's determination to cut its CO2 emissions by 2010 to 90% of its 1990 level.
Consumption
Switzerland's per capita electricity consumption is slightly higher than that of its neighbours, though well below that in Scandinavia, the US and Canada.

Am really fascinated at the moment with what "everyone" else is doing in the realm of energy saving, I started off thinking that the majority of countries were not doing much and I have been really suprised to see what everyone is doing. There are some very good examples now from other countries that we can all learn from.

http://www.celsias.com/actions/ - while I was researching other countries I found this website, lots of little ideas to help save energy and money, if everyone in the world signed up to just one of the ideas available on this website the energy saving would be unbelievable.