A district of the town of Eilat in Israel has managed to halve its energy consumption thanks to an energy efficiency project funded by the European Union. The project – ‘Green neighbourhood: a community-based approach to achieving energy efficiency’ – held its closing ceremony on 27 April at the Mitse Yam School, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, celebrating the achievements brought about by the installation of LED bulbs, presence detectors and smart meters.

The objective of Eilat municipality through this project was to increase the capacity to develop and promote smart solutions to the city’s environmental challenges and energy consumption. To achieve this, the neighbourhood of Mizpe Yam was selected as a pilot district to implement project initiatives.

With EU funding, Eilat municipality changed 800 light-fixtures into LED bulbs. This allowed the district of Mizpe Yam to reduce its energy consumption by 50%. The beneficiaries of the initiative have been 6 kindergartens, one primary school, a public park, and a synagogue, while smart metering systems were distributed to 900 households in the district, allowing them to manage energy consumption in a more efficient way.

The project was part of the EU-funded SUDEP-South programme (Sustainable Urban Demonstration Projects), which started its activities in 2015 across 12 cities in 6 countries of the southern Mediterranean. The overall objective of the SUDEP Programme is to assist local authorities in responding to sustainable energy challenges.

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Press release

‘Green neighborhood a community-based approach to achieving energy efficiency’

SUDEP-South website