Ing. Milan Dorko is a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Brno University of Technology. He has worked in managerial positions in the fi eld of business, whether it is sales, sales support, customer care or communication. He joined CEZ Group, where he held senior management positions, in 2007. Since 2020, he has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ENESA a.s., part of the ČEZ ESCO Group.
Today, energy savings are a fundamental economic postulate for business and public administration managers. Do you feel this in your business?
Yes, you are right. Energy saving is and will undoubtedly be an extremely hot topic. The reason for this is rising energy prices but also the obligations arising from the Green Deal, which I personally support and see, above all, as a great business opportunity. In addition, attitudes to business are changing. Soon, the public, various institutions and banks will increasingly ask how socially responsible we are. I firmly believe that our company ENESA, which is the market leader in energy services with an EPC (Energy Performance Contracting) savings guarantee, will stand up well in this situation.
Managers in companies today count every crown, euro or dollar. Can you off er companies a comprehensive system for saving money and using carbon-free resources?
ENESA has been part of ČEZ ESCO of ČEZ ESCO since 2015. The offer of all subsidiaries is probably the widest on the market, all under one roof. Specifi cally, ENESA specialises in EPC, which differs from other energysaving methods in two fundamental ways: the guarantee of results and a unique fi nancing method. The amount of energy cost savings is contractually guaranteed to the customer. The provider will make up the difference if the savings are lower. This shows that the customer and the provider are in the same boat. This principle is also reflected in the preparation of the project, which typically lasts 8-12 years. This parameter has often been a stumbling block for companies in the past. We used to hear from directors that they could not risk long-term contracts because they did not know the market situation. Today, when energy costs are rising steeply, and competition is ruthless, the situation is changing, thanks to subsidies.
“EPC equals rigorous
energy management, i.e.
detailed monitoring of
energy consumption and
searching for places with
further savings potential in
a very transparent way…“
Public administration is also struggling with the impact of rising energy prices. Investment financing for energy savings is often beyond the capacity of public budgets. Can you offer a helping hand?
Yes, we can. From the point of view of cities and municipalities, the EPC methodology and its associated fi nancing are highly advantageous. The customer, i.e. the municipality, city or region, does not need any input investment. In a well-configured project, the costs of implementing energysaving measures such as a new boiler room, lighting, programme-controlled heating of individual rooms according to individual requirements or faucet aerators are simply repaid from the energy achieved. In addition, each EPC project is tailored to the specific customer.
The advantages of EPCs were also realised a few years ago by the state and the ministries responsible for subsidy policy. The reasons are obvious: EPC equals rigorous energy management, i.e. detailed monitoring of energy consumption and searching for places with further savings potential in a very transparent way, since the amount of the savings determines the reimbursement of the investment and the eventual remuneration for the provider. The state can proudly count these demonstrable savings in its energy reduction commitments. This is also the reason for the sharp increase in investment in energy-effi cient revitalisation or retrofitting through EPCs. While until 2020, the average investment amount was around a few tens of millions of crowns, rarely rising above a hundred, a significant change came when it was possible to conveniently finance construction works and technological measures from a single subsidy.
I predict that the project for the CTU in nine dormitories and canteens for CZK 232 million, which we implemented in 2020 and which has already saved the university energy costs since last year in the amount of at least CZK 22 million per year, expressed in 2019 energy prices, will stay at the top of the most expensive EPCs for at most a year. We are now preparing intensively to implement the project in Thomayer Hospital, where the volume of investment is even half as high.
Running energy facilities in public administration can also be costly. How can this be addressed systemically?
You are right. Running energy equipment is always expensive no matter where. However, I consider it a missed opportunity to outsource only this activity without providing energy management and monitoring consumption. This is what distinguishes the supply of “iron” from energy services with guaranteed savings, i.e. EPC. Since I like classical music, I will use an analogy from this area. If you order a new boiler, it is like a violin virtuoso concert. Beautiful tones, but you realise it is missing something after a while. The EPC is the whole orchestra. It is only by a symbiosis of all energy-saving measures, including, for example, waste heat recovery or the aforementioned energy management, that you get the full sound, plus a guarantee that you will get your money back. It is fair to say that the EPC is not for everyone. The potential for savings in a given city or company plays a key role here, but this already arises where payments for electricity, gas, heat or water exceed CZK 3 million a year. But even this is not 100% true today, thanks to state subsidies. The fact that the EPC work can be proved by the fact that according to the data of the Association of Energy Service Providers (APES), since 1994, about 270 EPC projects have been implemented in our country, which has brought about energy cost savings worth CZK 5.3 billion, and I know of none where the customer has lost money.
Can you also off er subsidy consultancy to municipalities and companies to increase awareness?
If you are referring to applying for a subsidy, we leave that to the specialist agencies. But in the previous subsidy period, applicants for the OP Environment subsidy who used the EPC method were “rewarded” with 5% extra subsidy points. Thus, we had to learn very quickly to off er energy services with a guarantee of savings in combination with the subsidy. The subsidy application includes the supporting documents for the EPC project, including the contract with the provider. Therefore, everything has to be thoroughly thought out at this stage so that the equation of savings, investment and subsidy works out best for the customer.
Thank you for the interview.
