Being the Energy Team with the most weekly victories during the first phase of the C4S Energy Competition in Cyprus, the Energy Team of Lakatamia’s Town Hall was chosen by the project coordinator in Cyprus, the Cyprus Energy Agency, to give a short interview for the bi-annual European newsletter of the project.

Read the interview and find out what are the first impressions of the competition for the Lakatamia’s Town Hall’ Energy Team, how has the competition contributed to its Energy-and-Climate oriented Action Plans, and which are its prospects for the upcoming, second phase of it?

1.       First of all, congratulations for your extreme commitment during the first phase of the Energy Competition. What was the reason that made you participate in it, and how was your Team composed?
It was our interest in Energy Efficiency and thus the Environmental Protection that made us to participate in the C4S Energy Competition. Our goal was to strengthen our energy consciousness and learn good practices for energy-saving. Regarding our Team, it comprises of people from different departments in the Municipality, so that there is a wider contribution to the goals to be achieved, as well as a better dissemination of the outcomes to those involved.

2.       What are your impressions of the competition so far?
So far, we have only experienced the first phase of the competition, which we must admit it was beyond what we were expecting. Each week was new a challenge -an energy-oriented challenge- that taught us a lot, and more than contributing to energy-savings at work, also contributed to the bonding of the Team and our colleagues. We are glad we have learned so many simple and low-cost methods to reduce our energy consumption and thus our energy bills, both at work, at home, and anywhere else.

3.       Saying that, were the weekly challenges pivotal to change your mindset on energy saving in and out of the Town Hall?
Clearly! Seeing the positive impacts of Energy Efficiency at the Town Hall, through simple and low-cost energy-saving practices, we were convinced to adopt them in our daily life; as well as to recommend them to more people in and out of the office. That is the reason of our extreme commitment week by week. One of the most interesting things we have learned during the first phase of the competition is that of the term ‘Vampire Power’, referring to the way electric power is consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. Since then, we always make sure to turn off the appliances we don’t need, and where applicable, to set them in energy-saving mode.

4.       Is there any challenge you appreciated the most and would definitely suggest to more people outside of the Town Hall?
The ‘Veggie Day’ at least once a week! This is something we incorporated in our weekly plan at the office, and most of us at our homes. Getting rid of the meat for at least a day a week is not just healthy for ourselves, but also for the environment, as it contributes to the mitigation of Climate Change. It is also fun to prepare fruity or green snacks with the colleagues during working hours!

5.       Would you say that your participation in the competition has contributed to the preparation of your local Energy and Climate Action Plans? And if so, to what extent and how?
Of course! Our participation in the competition has significantly helped in these efforts, firstly because the staff has understood and applied all the energy-saving practices taught at a prior stage, thus the citizens of the area are now encouraged to apply them too, and this will enable the Energy and Climate Action Plans to be better designed and implemented.

6.       What are your aspirations for the next phase of the competition and what do you keep from what you have learned so far?
First of all, let us repeat how glad we are that we were given the opportunity to participate in this competition, and how excited and satisfied we are with our engagement so far. We are looking forward for the next phase, and until then, we will continue our efforts to save energy, implementing the practices we have learned. Regarding what are we keeping; is the experience, the knowledge, and the opportunity to work in a fun environment with our colleagues, sharing the same enthusiasm and interest on Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection aspects.