"Civilized energy, intelligent society"
Energia Klub (EK) is a civil society organisation, focusing on energy related environmental issues. Energy Klub is a rapidly evolving NGO, developing its activities along strategic commitments, fostering energy-related issues throughout the CEE region.
EK has been involved in running local education and public awareness raising programs on energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies and sustainable energy management for 15 years. Our main field of activity is energy policy, climate change, renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, nuclear safety, capacity building and networking in CEE region, and education.
We have undertaken a huge number of projects with the support of our funders and in coorporation with our partners. EK is involved in policy making on energy and climate and is frequently referred to as an independent think-tank organisation.
EK is played a major role in establishing and maintaining the AGREENET network.
At national level we have also developed a successful energy advisory network throughout Hungary, Zöld Energia Hálózat (ZEH), which plays an important role in EK’s awareness raising activities, as it is based on the work of these local environmental NGO partners. In this network EK provides the underlying expertise, knowledge and coordination.
EK is also actively involved in environmental education related to energy and climate. The "easy to understand" posters and educational packages are popular and can be used to teach a wide range of age-groups.
EK offer services and expertise for NGOs and businesses.
EK as an experienced NGO would be willing to participate as a partner in sustainable energy related international projects, researches, and campaigns.
The Energy Club’s Vision of Future Society
By 2050, a sustainable and intelligent energy system will have been developed. Energy suppliers and consumers will make an effort to increase the wellbeing of future generations. The most common way of energy consuming will rest on diversified, locally available environmental friendly resources, which are used in an energy efficient way.
The Energy Club’s Mission
Energy Club was established in 1990 with the aim of contributing to the birth of a civilized energy-consuming, sustainable society in Hungary and on the European continent. To this end, the Energy Club influences the decision making process in energy policy, provides professional advice and information, and also offers alternative solution to society, municipalities and the industrial sphere.
15 years - Full of Energy!
2.
Our motto: Civilised Energy, Civilised Society
The Energy Club’s Vision of Future Society
By 2030, the Energy Club’s staff would like to bring about sustainable and clean energy management in Hungary and Europe. We are working for a world in which people live in a clean environment and, drawing on local resources and the help of diversified energy systems, consume energy in a civilized way.
3.
The Energy Club’s Mission
Energy Club was founded in 1990 with the aim of contributing to the birth of a civilized energy-consuming, sustainable society in Hungary and on the European continent. To this end we take part in the preparation of energy policy decision making, offer expert consultation and information services as well as showing alternative solutions through our pilot projects. Our areas of activity: climate protection, popularising renewable energy and energy efficiency and strengthening nuclear safety.
4.
Spreading information
Since the beginning we have considered an important duty to develop the capacity of other national and international non-governmental organizations, as well as to facilitate coalition buildings. AGREE.NET –a regional coalition, The Green Energy Network in Hungary, the ELÉG – Energy Efficiency Program (1995/96), FAIRE (1997/98), and the SEE seminars (2001/04) were all founded with the support of our capacity development program. Targeting the future generations we have developed educational materials on sustainable energy and use the “train the trainers” method to educate teachers on how to use these. Our demonstration projects show that these technologies are really working.
5.
Energy Policy
A particular characteristic of Energy Club is, due to our professional record and prestige, how we take an active part in the formation of the energy policy. We are not only a member of different commissions but also a decisive and accepted actor in this economic sub-system, evaluating and contributing to the materials and legislation prepared by the state administration.
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Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency and savings are the first steps towards sustainable energy management. As long as Hungarian homes use twice the energy needed to ensure the inhabitants’ comfort, as they do in neighbouring Austria, the use of renewables will not be economic. It is not accidental that since the beginning we have put a great emphasis on spreading knowledge about this issue in the widest circles.
7.
Renewable Energy Resources
Renewables are the only realistic alternative to fossil fuels. We use the word ‘renewable’ as the availability of sun, wind and biomass is basically limitless, whereas reserves of crude oil, natural gas, uranium and coal are exhaustible. Moreover, renewables do not pollute the environment and through their use a decentralised energy system can be brought into being that over the long term is beneficial to the local economy.
8.
Climate Protection
The last few years has seen the birth of scientific certainty in relation to global climate change. Climate change that stems from the emissions of greenhouse gases has become measurable, tangible. The problem - due to its nature - demands a united global response; moreover, every responsible decision-maker at the regional and local level and every single person must act with this in mind.
Carbon dioxide emission is one of the World’s greatest problems and its main source - combusted fossil fuels – points to the energy and transport sector as the most environmentally destructive industries. As such, all the Energy Club’s programmes are part of the fight for global climate protection.
9.
Nuclear Energy
Paks Nuclear Power Station generates 36 per cent of the electricity produced in Hungary, when all four reactors are in operation. At the same time, this only accounts for 12 per cent of the overall national energy consumption. Recently many concerns have come up in connection with the operation and safety culture, to obtaining fuel, extending the lifetime of the soviet-design reactors and the treatment of nuclear waste. The case of Paks is not the only example in the region, showing that splitting atoms is not a safe and clean way of producing electricity.
10.
International Relations
Today environmental problems are international issues; hence an environmental organisation cannot work effectively inside the borders of just one country. Since its inception, Energy Club has taken care to build close relations with similar groups both internationally and in the narrower Central and Eastern European region. Moreover, through out the years Energy Club has grown into a kind of regional centre.
1 § General Provisions
(1) The Association is the legal successor of the ELTE Nature Conservation Club’s (ELTE Természetvédelmi Klub) Working Group, called Energy Working Group (Energy Club) registered in 1991
(2) The name of the Association : Energia Klub (Energy Club) Association
Short name of the Association: Energia Klub (Energy Club)
Seat: 17-19 Szerb utca, 1056 Budapest.
2 § Goals of the Association
(1) Promoting solutions to environmental problems caused by energy production, transportation and end-use and representing citizens’ interests connection with these issues.
(2) Representing consumer interests.
(3) Promoting ways and means to ensure efficient production and end-use of energy and a more important use of renewable energy sources.
(4) Working for an environmentally sustainable energy policy.
(5) Awareness raising to promote efficient and environmentally friendly energy production and end-use to change citizens’ habits and mentality.
(6) Developing and maintaining international contacts to forward the above mentioned goals
3 § To Achieve its Goals, the Association uses the following tools
(1) Organisation of seminars, forums and discussions.
(2) Initiation the development of Acts and other higher level legislation, and dispositions and comments issues related to energy policy and related legislation.
(3) Publishes materials and campaign materials (conducts publishing activities) and distributes awareness raising materials connected to the issues dealt with.
(4) Puts out calls for grant applications on the above mentioned topics.
(5) Takes part in educational activities, assists, initiates and conducts such programmes.
(6) Co-operates with other organisations.
(7) Maintains international contacts other international organisations.
(8) The Association leads innovative as well as consensus building activities among stakeholders, provides help in connection with grant applications, and conducts household energy efficiency and energy saving activities. It also endeavours to network with local and national government institutions. Moreover, the Association’s activities to improve and develop the efficiency of energy usage also include the preparation of plans and programs in connection with this issue.
(9) The Association’s conducts activities listed in the 1997 Act CLVI on Public Interest Organisations Section 26, Paragraph c./ Point 9; anyone can take part in its public interest services, insofar as they conform to the general conditions stipulated in the calls proposals and other criteria. The environmental protection activities are conform to the general legislation on environmental protection, Act LIII of 1995. The activities of the Association are composed of public interest activities described as duties of the Minister of Environment and Water Resources in the 1995 Act LIII, Paragraph 42 / Point b), in the Governmental Decree155/2002 (VII.9) on the Duties and Responsibilities of the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Paragraph 1 Section 2 (especially under point b)), Paragraph 3 (especially Section (1), Points b), d) and f)), as well as activities defined as the duty of the local governments in the 1990 Act LXV, Paragraph 8, Section (1).
(10) During its activities, the Association can undertake enterprise activities insofar as it supports its public interest activities and doesn’t jeopardise them. The income generated from these activities must be used for the purpose of upcoming activities.
(11) The Association cannot engage in direct political activities and the organisation must remain independent from political parties and is not allowed to support them financially. The Association is not allowed to serve any political or economic interest, moreover it cannot engage in the representation of political and economic interests in influencing legislation be it by propaganda or other means.
4 § The Assembly
(1) The Assembly is the supreme body of the Association.
(2) Only the Assembly can make decisions on:
a) accepting or modifying the Statutes of the Association
b) the annual budget of the Association and acceptance of the annual financial report,
c) acceptance of the year’s work plan,
d) electing the Board – the President and two Board members - for three years, prolonging or revoking the mandates of Board members (the Assembly can revoke the mandate of a Board member who repeatedly or gravely violates the provisions of the Statutes or reneges its responsibilities as a Board member),
e) choosing the Director of the Association for a period of three years,
f) discussion and acceptance of the Board’s annual report,
g) judging an appeal against a decision of the Board,
h) accepting new members according to the procedure detailed in 5 § 1
i) decision on the exclusion of a member,
j) amount of the membership fee,
k) decision over joining other civil groups,
l) decision over the dissolution of the Association with the agreement of 2/3 of the members,
m) accepting the yearly report presented by the Board,
n) selecting the members of the supervisory body,
o) accepting the Report on Public Interest Activities.
(3) The Board has the authority to decide on any other issue not specified in the exclusive rights of the Assembly.
(4) The decisions of the Assembly are made by a majority vote, with the exception of the dissolution (see 3.§2./1). In the case of an even vote, the chairman breaks the tie. An individual cannot take part in the Assembly’s decision if the individual’s close relative (paragraph 685, point b/), or companion (later relative) will:
a) benefit from the exemption of an obligation or a responsibility
b) benefit from any other advantage, and has any interest in any upcoming legal transaction from the Assembly’s decision.
(5) The Assembly must meet at least once a year. It must however be called within 30 days of a request submitted by 1/5th of the members.
(6) The President or the Vice-president are responsible for calling together the Assembly. The place, time and draft agenda of the General Assembly must be communicated to the members of the General Assembly and those of the Supervisory Committee.
(7) For the Assembly to be authorised to make decisions, the presence of half of the members is required. If it cannot form a quorum, a second meeting must take place where decisions can be made independently from the number of participants and on the agenda presented at the first meeting, providing the members’ attention to this has been raised in the written invitation to attend the Assembly.
(8) During the Assembly, members have the right to take part in discussions and vote, while invited guests have the right to take part in the discussion and make proposals.
(9) The Assembly meetings are public.
(10) Minutes must be taken from the Assembly meeting. The minutes must contain the meeting place, date, agenda, list of people present; a list of issues discussed, the pre-distributed proposals, a summary of the discussion; it must contain the decisions, the minority’s opinion. The minutes are to be signed by the Chairman of the meeting and the minute-taker selected by the majority of the participants of the meeting and must be approved by two members present at the meeting.
(11) The Chairman of the Assembly must inform interested parties of the decisions as soon as possible and makes them public on the Association’s homepage.
5 § Membership Issues
(1) Any natural or legal person (regardless of nationality or seat) can become a general member of the Association if accepted by the Assembly by a 2/3 majority, and if he/she accepts the Statutes and pays the membership fees.
(2) The membership fee is 1000 HUF for natural persons and 20000 HUF for any legal person, as long as this amount is nor changed by the Assembly.
(3) A persons not allowed to practice his/her public rights or is under arrest or has a legal sentence against him/her cannot become a member of the Association.
(4) Members of the Association are recorded in the Membership Book, indicating their name, address or seat, occupation and the date of joining the Association.
6 § Cancellation of Membership
(1) The membership can end by resignation, striking off and exclusion.
(2) The membership is valid as long as the member does not request its end (orally or in writing), or the Board does not make a decision on the striking off of the member supported by a justification, or the Assembly does not decide on the exclusion of the member by a majority vote.
(3) Membership is cancelled by the Board if the member has not paid the overdue membership fee for a period of half a year, despite having received a written notice sent by registered mail or given over in person (with proof of reception). The written notice must inform the member that membership will be cancelled if the membership fee is not paid by a specified date, after reception of the notice.
(4) The Board can cancel the membership of those who have not taken part in the Association’s activities for a period longer that one year from his/her own fault. Cancellation can only take place after the member concerned has been heard and has had a chance to present his/her defence.
(5) The decision of cancellation must be communicated in a verifiable way to the member concerned.
(6) A member acting against the principles of the Association can be excluded by the Assembly.
7 § Rights and Duties of Members
(1) Members of the Association have equal rights. Everyone has the right to propose, elect or be elected as a member of the Board.
(2) Every member has one vote at the Assembly. Everyone has the right to make suggestions, comments or initiate proposal at meetings which should be responded to either in oral or written form. Every member can participate in Board meetings with rights to participate in the discussion and to make suggestions.
(3) Duties:
a) participate actively in fulfilling the goals of the Association
b) pays the membership fee decided by the Assembly
c) elected members should actively take part in the work of the Board according to the rules of the Association.
8 § Supporting and Honorary Members
(1) Any natural or legal person can be a supporting or honorary members -regardless of nationality or seat- who is accepted by the Board as a supporting or honorary member.
(2) The duty of a supporting or honorary member is to provide material, financial or other support for the activities of the Association.
(3) The supporting and honorary members - after his/her/its acceptance by the Association - can use her/his/its membership, can use it publicly and participate and make proposals in the activities and the meetings of the Association.
9 § The Board
(1) the Board is made up of the President and two more Board members,
(2) the main Rights and duties of the Board:
a) preparing the annual work plan of the Association,
a) organising the activities of the Association between two Assembly meetings,
b) make strategic decisions between two Assembly meetings,
c) making decisions in all cases not included in the rights and duties of the Assembly.
d) prepare the annual report on activities,
e) prepare the draft of the annual public interest report and distribute it to the Assembly for approval
(3) Rights and Duties of the President:
a) prepares and calls the Board meetings,
b) supervises the implementation of Board decisions,
c) can represent the organisation with the exception of cases detailed in 12 § (3)
d) exercises the employer’s rights in connection above the Director
e) can delegate his/her rights and duties to any member of the Board on a case by case basis.
(4) Between two Assembly meetings, the Board has to meet at least twice in order to maintain the permanent activity of the Association. Board meetings are public.
(5) The Board quorum is attained when the majority of members are present. Decisions are made by unanimity.
(6) Minutes of the meeting must be taken, which should be signed by the Board members present at the meeting.
10 § Main Duties and responsibilities of the Director
a) can represent the organisation with the exception of cases detailed in 12 § (3)
b) exercises the employer’s rights in connection above its colleagues
c) The Assembly has the right to choose or revoke the Director. Employer’s rights above the Director are the prerogative of the President..
11 § The Supervisory Body
(1) The members of the Supervisory body are selected by the Assembly. The Supervisory Body had three members.
(2) The members or auditor of the Supervisory cannot be at the same time
a) the President or a member of the Association,
b) takes part in activities other than those assigned by the Association and is employed or works in any other legal framework
c) benefits from the income related to the organisation’s aims, and
d) persons appointing those covered by points a-c
(3) The Supervisory body audits the Association’s operation and financial management. As they accomplish their task, they may request a report from the representatives and explanations from the employees of the Association. Furthermore, they have access to the Association’s books and may audit them.
(4) The Supervisory body determines its own detailed procedures.
(5) Members of the Supervisory body have the right to take part in discussions at meetings of the Association.
(6) The Supervisory body informs the Assembly, initiates summoning the Assembly if it becomes aware that:
a) in the process of operation of the Association, an infringement of the law or an event (negligence) that seriously damages the organisation’s interests takes place, which requires the decision of the Assembly in order to be resolve and to mitigate its effects;
b) the responsibility of leading officers is in question.
(7) The Assembly must be summoned at the initiation of the Supervisory body within thirty days of the request. If the Assembly is not summoned within this time, the Supervisory body has the right to summon the Assembly.
(8) If the responsible body does take the necessary steps to restore proper operations, the Supervisory body is responsible for notifying the institutions responsible for supervising the application of the law without delay.
12 § Assets, Financial and Monetary instruments
(1) To accomplish its goals, the Association can use the membership fees, money coming from grant applications, other donations and the financial support of supporting and honorary members; furthermore, it can use revenues generated by contracts signed for expert or scientific activities that further the aims of the Association.
(2) The Association keeps its financial assets on its own bank account, except for the amount which needs to be kept in the cash according to the decision of the Board.
(3) Accessing the Association’s bank account is possible with the two simultaneous signatures of the following people: the President, the Director and the Financial Manager.
(4) The Financial Manager must keep records of payments and file receipts/proofs of payments. At the end of the financial year, the Financial Manager places the annual accounts and the related receipts into the archives of the Board.
(5) If the Board of the Association or its authorised members fail to keep the rules of the Association, they are liable for their order with their personal assets.
(6) Members of the Association are not liable for the debts of the Association with their personal assets.
13 § Dissolution of the Association
(1) The Association dissolves if two thirds of its members decide so; if according to the decision of the Board it unites with another Association; if the number of the members falls under 10; if it is dissolved through an official procedure.
(2) In case of dissolution of the Association, its assets are at the disposal of its legal successor. If there is no legal successor, the last Assembly meeting may decide to transfer the assets to a civil organisation serving similar aims.
14 § Report on Public Interest Activities
(1) The public interest report contains the following:
a) a financial report;
b) the use of the financial grants;
c) details of property use;
d) accounts of allocation of funds according to their use;
e) details of the amounts obtained from the following administrative bodies: the body responsible for the central budget, the special governmental funds, the local governments, the local governments for visible minority settlements, the settlements’ local government unions and the health authorities.
f) the value and amounts received by Board members;
g) a short narrative report on the public interest activities.
(2) Anyone may have access to the annual Public interest report of the Association and can make copies at his/ her own cost.
15 § Closing Provisions
(1) The Association is and independent legal person; its operation is regulated by the provisions of Act II. of 1989 and Act CLVI of 1997 and the related rules of the PTK are the guiding rules.
(2) The procuration of the Association is made by the co-signatures of two authorised members above the name of the Association. The President and the Director are authorised to sign on behalf of the Association.
(3) Based on the present Statutes’ provisions, the Organisational and Operational Rules contain a management record in which the content, time and scope, as well as the details of the vote (pro and contra, if possible with concrete names) of the Assembly and Board decisions can be established.
(4) The means of requesting the services of the Association and reports are regularly published by the Board on the Association’s home page, and may use as required different environmental protection media.
(5) The most important data connected to the Association’s activities and management as defined in the Statutes are to be made public through local and national media.
(6) A person that has occupied a position in the Board of another Public interest organisation for a minimum of a year cannot be a member of the Board, insofar as the organisation he/she was previously in has not settled its public debt. This exclusion lasts for a period of 2 years after the previous organisation has been dissolved.
Budapest, November 24, 2005
Zsuzsa Foltányi Ada Ámon
President Director
End of the fossils
We’ve turned 15! To mark the occasion we invited our friends, partners and respected adversaries to celebrate with us. Surprisingly many people came; even the minister himself paid his respects.
It’s impossible not to notice: both politics and the people are showing more and more interest in energy. This conclusion isn’t only based on the number of enquiries made by the public, but on the number of times the press approaches us. We are not at all surprised; we all feel on our own skin that the resources that have been stored under the Earth’s surface for millions of years are running out. Hungary is also being baked by climate change, not to mention Tuvalu and the other little island-countries that are quickly sinking...
While 20 years has passed since the world’s most serious technological catastrophe occurred, the exact number of victims claimed by Chernobyl is still as yet undiscovered. However, what we do know is that with the discovery of nuclear energy, humankind also discovered the nuclear accident. The lesson of Chernobyl taught us that the secrecy and elusiveness associated with nuclear energy is institutionalised. This reminds us that as of today we still don’t know how those fuel rods which ‘suffered a serious incident’ in Hungary’s only nuclear powerstation – ‘Paks’ - in April 2003, will be removed to a more secure place than Paks’s second reactor. The management of Paks says it’s not our business. It seems the ’Cherno-crats’ are still amongst us.
There is nothing left to do but step over the dinosaurs: in the XXIst Century we will have to learn to use renewable energy resources efficiently and economically.
Our Mission and our Vision.
By 2030, the Energy Club’s staff would like to bring about sustainable and clean energy management in Hungary and Europe. We are working for a world in which people live in a clean environment and, drawing on local resources and the help of diversified energy systems, consume energy in a civilized way.
Presently the energy industry does not cover most of the ‘externalised’ costs that its activities cause, e.g. the off-loaded social expenses such as health service spending, those arising from environmental destruction, or the costs of the negative effects of climate change either at home or abroad. It is our belief that one of the most important tools in reducing these burdens is the efficient and economical use of energy. This means rationalising our use of energy: achieving the same level of service and comfort while consuming fewer resources.
The only realistic and long-term alternative for energy production is, however, offered by renewable sources. We say renewable as the sun, wind or biomass are available in unlimited quantities- unlike crude oil, natural gas, uranium or the quickly depleting reserves of coal. Moreover, renewables do not pollute the environment, and their use can allow a decentralised energy system to evolve, which is in the long-term economically beneficial to local societies.
Chernobyl is the lasting symbol of human irresponsibility. Besides the risk of nuclear accidents nuclear energy produces waste that remains radioactive for many thousands of years. Nuclear energy is not safe, it is not clean, and it is not cheap. The Energy Club is committed to a nuclear free future.
A quick look at 2005 [2005 in a snapshot]
In 2005 we reached the end of a long process of organisational development. It was exciting, but it was also tiring. We learned a lot about ourselves and about how it is worth relating to the world. We owe a lot to Ildikó Simon, our organisational-development advisor, who accompanied us throughout this ’treatment’. The process brought many results; our organisational and operational codes have now been updated, our long-term strategy is ready, our new logo has been created, and we have manuals for our image and quality management. We have volunteers and effortless and professional alliances with many-many other local and international organisations.
Our communications and appearances in the media have become much more sophisticated and diverse. We were covered in a popular, local women’s magazine, ’the Woman’s Pages’ and in the Reader’s Digest, entirely on our own merit, as well as having weekly TV and radio appearances. Communications is, however, more than just the media. Our presentations at conferences and special forums have been received positively by the professionals. Our redesigned newsletter, the „230” – the Energy Club Critical Mass Paper – has been praised by both regular and not-so-regular readers. Similarly, the publication made for our 15th birthday was a success with everyone from pre-schoolers to pensioners.
In 2005 we took part in dozens of events, festivals and conferences. Often we were the organiser, but more often we were sought after as invited speakers or as specialists.
The Energy Club has become the special advisor to the European Parliament's Green Fraction, and we have now spent many years participating in the work of Hungary’s National Environmental Council, reviewing the energy and the national development concepts.
In spring 2005 a new international organisation was formed, the Energy Club helping it through its teething stages: AGREE.NET - Actions for Green Renewable and Efficient Energy Network. This legal status was preceded by many years of preparatory work, and at the end of 2005 our funding application to the European Commission also met with success, allowing us to leap into top gear and begin training courses and joint projects across the region.
Climate Change was the theme of this year’s Brussels’ Green Week. Here, at the end of May, as the only participant from the region, the Energy Club commandos introduced our multilingual educational materials to those climate protection organisations, researchers and decision-makers that had flocked there from all parts of Europe.
The European network ’Energie Cités’ brings municipalities’ experience and influence together for sustainable, local, energy management. In 2005 the Energy Club took part in many forums and other events popularising these goals. The Hungarian municipalities have a long way to go in this field too, and could do a great deal to help our own domestic energy management practices. We hope that by 2006 the Hungarian alliance for energy efficient settlements will be formed.
Climate
2005 was an important year in the history of climate protection. The Kyoto Protocol came into effect on February 16th and, under the auspices of the United Nation’s, the commitments made at Kyoto became compulsory for the signatories. We -along with others- commemorated this event, and the media also dealt with the issue thoroughly, even if it didn’t make the front page.
Naturally, we took part in many international and local conferences. Amongst these the Brussels’ Green Week (30th May – 2nd June) was the most significant, the theme of which was climate policy. The Energy Club, with its information stand, was the only non-governmental organisation represented from the region. Our informative wall charts and their interactive internet versions were a great success with the visitors. Besides this occasion Péter Kardos, the climate protection programme coordinator made presentations at numerous special conferences.
The main body of the Hungarian climate protection legislation was formed in 2005, like the majority of the emission trading regulations and the bases of the national allocation plan. The Energy Club not only followed the process carefully, but actually took part in it. We involved other concerned environmental organisations in this work, and kept them up to date through consultations and trainings.
Energy Efficiency
’ZEH’ - the Green Energy Network.
In 2005, the Energy Club assisted in the work of the ’KÖTHÁLÓ’, offering them trainings and publications to enable them to give advice on household and municipal energy management as part of their environmental advisory service, now available in 10 different settlements across the country. It appears that the ever-increasing energy costs are encouraging consumers to become acquainted with more economical and efficient energy solutions.
Educational film on the ‘ABC’ of insulation
The Hungarian Energy Brigades’ programme operates in 8 places across the country. To make home insulation simpler, we made a 9-minute film which enables anyone to undertake the work with ease. Similarly, numerous printed publications are available that help us get to grips with a more considered use of energy. To name just a few: ’A Guide to Complaints’, ’Labelling Household Appliances’, ’Green Energy Labelling’, ’Being Smart with Energy’…
Energy-aware settlements
The importance of the municipalities’ energy management goes without question, hence in 2005 the Energy Club negotiated with numerous councils and federations of councils regarding the formation of a new organisation, based on the example of the European ’Energie Cités’ network, which originated in France.
Renewable Energy
Looking back on 2005, for the renewables department this was the year of biomass. Biomass plays an increasingly important role in Hungarian energy provision, but we are convinced that this development is going in the wrong direction. Today, 90% of the biomass used in energy production is burned in units of 30-50MW, and at a very low level of efficiency. If it goes on like this, one of our most promising energy resources will be wasted. This led us to decide to hold forum-come-information galas in 6 larger cities on the Hungarian Great Plain this January and February, for local farmers, land-owners, regional development specialists and fund-raisers. These fora were a success for the participants, the invited speakers and the specialists alike.
Based on the presentations and the ensuing debates, the ’Guide to Biomass’ was created, a seemingly much-needed publication, given that the 1000 copies available were all snapped up in a very short time. The concerns arising from this programme resulted in the ’Statement on Biomass’, endorsed and supported by environmental organisations, the conclusions of which we hope will soon become part of domestic legislation. In 2005, articles on renewables that referred to the Energy Club appeared more or less weekly in the Hungarian media.
Nuclear safety or nuclear secrecy
For us, a large part of 2005 continued to rotate around the major and serious incident happened in 2003 at Paks. There are 3,6 tonnes of broken fuel rods sitting at the bottom of a tank next to reactor 2. Moreover in the second half of the year attempts relating to the extension of Paks’ lifetime took centre stage.
The Energy Club versus the National Energy Bureau (OAH).
The trials that started ’with urgency’ in 2004 have still not come to a conclusion. 6 sittings have taken place in the two trials. The OAH has to the end consistently refused to release the information we have requested about the risky clean-up work, which - according to the newspapers - is expected to be carried out in autumn 2006.
We count it as a part-success that in one of the trials the second degree judicial body declared the information we had requested was ’of public concern’, and placed the burden of proof for the restriction onto the respondent, in other words, onto the Bureau. We hope we can put a full stop to the end of the trials in 2006.
Paks only has alternatives.
On the 7th of September, after a 15-minutes contemplation, the cabinet decided to support the extension of Paks’ lifetime. After this, the department responsible for nuclear safety, at present the Ministry of Justice, submitted a 20 page document to the Parliament, on the basis of which the Parliament ’takes note of’ the government’s efforts. As a result of the coalition between the Energy Club and another local organisation, ’Protect the Future’, numerous amendments were submitted, and an advertisement was placed in newspapers carrying the above title. This action received an even greater level of media attention than expected.
C+19
The Energy Club and Greenpeace played host to two Russian guests in April, Ramsis Faizullin and Gosman Kabirov from Chelyabinsk (Russia), two victims of the pollution resulting from nuclear waste. On the 19th anniversary of Chernobyl, we wished to call attention to the fact that it is not only disasters that cause illness, but that even the day-to-day „smooth” operation of the waste treatment plants go hand in hand with similar effects on health. For this occasion we revised and reprinted our publication entitled, ’What’s in our Backyard?’ Our other publication – ’Atomic!messes and Atomic!myths’ is designed to dispel the myths of nuclear energy and on numerous summer festivals our enthusiastic volunteers handed these out to young people. We also took part in the ’One million Europeans against nuclear power!’ campaign, collecting part of the 22,000 signatures making up the Hungarian contribution to the one million.
Our plans for 2006
We are building on the experience we have gathered in our energy efficiency programme, concentrating on increasing municipalities’ and householder’s awareness of and attitude to energy management. We would like to found the Energie Cités network in Hungary, the network already operating with great success in Europe, with a massive amount of experience and knowledge to its credit. Renewable energy resources are receiving an increasing amount of media attention too. This is clearly prompted by the ever more obvious scarcity of traditional energy sources, and the resulting price increases. From this point of view, in 2006 it will be time for a review of domestic energy regulations. The Energy Club would like to contribute to a more just regulation of renewable energy resources, the birth of a new law on renewable energy.
In the field of climate protection, the most important event at which the Energy Club will be present is in Nairobi, at the conference laying the future for climate protection strategies, and at the forum of specialists taking place just before this. Over and above this we would also like to take part in the formation of the Hungarian climate protection strategy.
In April 2006 it will be 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl’s fourth block exploded disaster. Along with other organisations we would like to commemorate this in an appropriate way. We are also invited to the International Chernobyl+20 Conference to Kiev.
Numerous challenges await the country in respect of nuclear safety, since the ’cleaning up’ of the serious incident that happened at Paks is planned for this autumn. We went to court so the public could also have access to information about this. At the same time the issue of extending Paks’ lifetime by 20 years is going through the environmental agency licensing procedures. The Energy Club has been given status as a client in the process. The competent authority continues to count on the expertise and insight we have gathered from our experience.
In 2006 a new energy-policy concept is being prepared. The Energy Club staff is evaluating each of the 17 expected reports, both individually and together as a whole. The first results of this are already up on our website.
Just to top everything, in the first half of 2006 we will welcome our visitors with a more transparent and modern website.
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| Management |
 Ada Ámon - director
Email: amon@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3524
I am a qualified economist, a member of the Energia Klub for 17 years. I worked as a consultant for the London-based International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC), as the energy coordinator of CEE Bankwatch (Bankfigyelő Hálózat), and as an energy advisor to the Greens in the European Parliament. From 2004 to 2008 I was a member of the National Environment Council, as well as many campaigns’ and international programmes’ executive committee. I was the Hungarian writer in international, jointly-produced publications, and christened numerous organisations. I give lectures at universities and presentations on courses. My writings most often analyse energy policy, or criticise them. Thanks to our many years of devoted work, today the Energia Klub is regarded as a highly competent expert in these issues.
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Katalin Kápolnai - deputy director
Email: kapolnai@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3535
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 Mária Csikai - on maternal leave
I have been responsible for the Energia Klub’s organisational management since 2005: fund-raising, planning, PR, marketing, administration, and service development all fall under my remit. I am a cultural and adult training manager, earlier I worked in media, the cultural sector, in events management, as well as in trade. At the Energia Klub I am primarily responsible for maintaining contact with the international funding programmes’ handling bodies, including Manage Energy and Cordis. I also take part in international conferences and information days. I am proud that I played a part in making the Energia Klub as stable as it is today, where quality, highly professional work is going on. My aim in brief: do non-profit, professionally!
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 Ferenc Welsch - financial director
Email: welsch@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3523
I finished my studies in economics at the Manchester Business School, achieving an MBA, and since then I have worked in various senior management positions in Hungary, Costa Rica and Denmark. I joined the non-profit sector in the ’90s, and since 2008 I have striven to enrich the not – to - be underestimated knowledge pool here with a little of my for-profit input: I oversee the financial and administrative duties.
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Dorottya Krafcsik - financial assistant
Email: krafcsik@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3532
I have been a colleague of the Energia Klub since 2001. I graduated as a non-profit manager at Berzsenyi Dániel College and am an accountant. I was the financial director until 2007, after returning from my maternal leave, I have been the member of the management as a half-timer since 2009.
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 Andrea Nagy - corporate relations
Email: nagy@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3534
I joined the Energia Klub in 2007 after putting a decade and a half of experience in development in the Hungarian and international company finance and banking sector under my belt. I am an economist, I took my degree in Prague. In Australia I completed a course in Biodynamic Farming. I worked for traditional banks and with those utilising the MMM (Merging Mission with Market) approach, the so-called alternative financial institutions, as well as studying foundations such as these in New Zealand and Australia. I used to be the local representative of the international alternative bank, Tridos, well known for its commitment to social and sustainability issues. The purpose of my work is to develop long term strategical relationships between the Energia Klub and Hungarian companies. My first project here at the Energia Klub was the ’Lakcimke’ campaign, in which we successfully involved many large Hungarian companies. The real success wasn’t simply managing to gain their financial support, but also that we were able to make them financially interested in having the aims of the campaign transplanted into and operating in the market. I regard it as an aim and a challenge to find the shared, advantageous opportunities for cooperation between those serving the common good, free from business interests, and the economic realities and business sector interests.
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| Policy for the future |
 Katalin Varga - renewable energy, project manager
Email: varga@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: + 36 1 411 3533
I am an economist, I completed my studies at Corvinus University and in Passau. I have been a team member since 2006. My primary task at the Energia Klub is the promotion of the use of renewables. We would like to achieve the widespread use of locally available, practically infinite resources of clean solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass power instead of the expensive, polluting resources that conserve energy dependency. We pursue this aim by organising professional roundtable discussions, launching projects, cooperating with educational and research institutes. My work is supported by the newest findings of international studies and research, contacts maintained with international experts and organisations and active participation in various national and European events and trade fairs. I have delivered a great number of lectures on the topic, have written many background studies, market analyses, information materials, summaries for decision makers and articles. The latest is Renewable Energy in Hungary – Status Report 2008, and I am also the proud creator of the Good Practices database. For a few months at the beginning of 2009 I worked at the German Öko-Institut on projects on green electricity labelling and the subsidising of renewable heat generation.
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 Zsuzsanna Koritár - conventional energy sources, project manager
Email: koritar@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3522
I have been a member of the Energia Klub since 2001. I graduated from ELTE as a geologist, hydro-geologist and a special English translator. After that I graduated from the environmental science and policy department of CEU as well. My task is awareness raising and providing information to the public on nuclear energy as well as being a watchdog of processes in this field and campaigning and doing media work for the transparency of the industry. To this end I have analysed and commented on a number of impact studies, and have helped international organisations take part in the impact study process of the lifetime-extension of the Paks nuclear power station. I am in contact with many international organisations, took part in an international civil conference on nuclear energy in Chicago, 2001, and in the civil conciliatory forum in Vienna. I was the editor of the Anti-nuclear Newsletter, then of its successor, 230, for five years. I am the author of many publications, like Reaktorta, „20 years of radiation - in memoriam Chernobil”, and „Into which backyard?” but I have also created educational posters for schools about the operation of reactors and about nuclear waste.
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 András Perger - conventional energy sources, project manager
Email: perger@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3530
I have been a colleague of the Energia Klub since 2002. The essence of my job is to provide both the public and political decision-makers with well founded and independent information on nuclear energy and conventional energy resources. To this end I have been attending international conferences, seminars and forums from Kiev to Brussels, from Helsinki to Sofia, and I always keep an eye on the latest analyses and research of the most important international research institutes, universities and energy agencies. Daily contact with international green organisations and ecological institutes also help my work. I have been an author of „Chances of nuclear energy in the 21st century”, which analyses the state of the nuclear industry, „20 years of radiation - in memoriam Chernobyl” and also the national report „Nuclear risk and social control”.
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 Péter Kardos - climate change, expert
Email: kardos@energiaklub.hu
I graduated as a traffic engineer at BME KSK and as a meteorologist at ELTE TTK. I had plenty of occasions to confront the ever more pressing problem of climate change as a student of meteorology. That was when I decided that I would use the knowledge I gained to raise as many people’s awareness to this potential threat as possible and to show a different approach. I have been working at the Energia Klub since 2004, where I am now utilising international legal, political, economical, financial and environmental approaches as well as the academic to help humanity mitigate the unavoidable and avoid the unmitigatable. I take part in developing teaching material and delivering lectures too as part of my job but I am also present when the countries of the world meet to decide on what to do in the course of the fight against climate change. In recent years I have been taking part in the social consultation process of the Hungarian introduction of the EU-ETS, in the work of the inter-ministerial committee of Kyoto mechanism and in creating the civil expert study on the National Climate Change Strategy. Presently I am a civil member of many committees related to this.
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 Dénes Fellegi - energy efficiency project assistant
Email: fellegi@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: + 36 1 411 3527
I graduated at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in 2007, then held the position of a branch manager at a mortgage lending company. I had always wanted to take a more active part in social awareness raising and that is why I decided to find a field where there is more opportunity for this. Presently I am writing studies and analyses to help the work of energy policy decision-makers.
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Dr. Attila Antal - legal expert
Email: antal@energiaklub.hu
I graduated from the faculty of law at ELTE in 2009 and am now completing my second degree, a Degree in Political Science. I joined the Energia Klub as a legal expert in 2009, previously I had helped to develop the Energia Klub’s Policy on Usage of Information as an intern. I gathered my professional experience in public administration and at various political analyst firms, presently I am a legal expert journalist and an assistant lecturer. I take part in work that requires a legal background at the Energia Klub, and also take part in the corruption monitoring of public administration.
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András Murányi - senior reserach consultant
Email: muranyia@energiaklub.hu
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| Alternatives to people |
 Zsuzsanna Király - residential energy management, project manager
Email: kiraly@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 35 25
I am an engineer with a legal qualification. I have been working at the Energia Klub since 2004, previously working in local council environmental protection for three years. The essence of my work: public awareness raising. In the process of the local council energy management project I was continuously exchanging information with the French centre of Energie-Cités. During another project I lead, „Check it out”, I was in daily contact with the Dutch centre of Ecofys and with the Berliner Energieagentur, Berlin’s official energy agency. In this campaign we carried out the energy audit of 15 schools, created teaching materials and delivered teacher trainings. I strive to strengthen the cooperation of the green and the social spheres as well in the field of energy efficiency. In the Green Energy Network I coordinated the training of citizens to become civil energy consultants, at the moment I am leading the „Lakcímke” campaign on household energy efficiency. Thanks to the endless list of media appearances, studies, trainings and lectures, everyday energy efficiency solutions are now available and understandable for everybody.
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 Nelli Tóth - municipal energy management, project manager
Email: toth@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3526
I am an environmental engineer, teacher of environmental studies and an engineer with legal qualifications. I have been at the Energia Klub since 2001. I am presently leading the Solar Energy Championship for local municipalities, and setting up a collection of good practices of public institutions on energy efficiency and renewables projects. I am a founder of the Energy Management Scientific Association, the Settlement Energetics Section and a member of the monitoring committee of the Association of Conscious Consumers. For years I coordinated the creation of the Association of Energy Efficient Local Councils and the Hungarian Energy Brigades program, and was leader of the program working to create public energy consultancy offices. I strive to create cooperation between local councils, NGOs and players of business life in my work. I authored the energy efficiency section of the Sustainable Energy Strategy and also created teaching materials, films and the consultancy model of Energia Klub. I was the consultant to the Hungarian programme of the European Energy Championship in 2005.
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 Cili Lohász - education and training, program coordinator
Email: lohasz@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3528
I graduated from the departments of Biology and Chemistry and have qualifications to teach in German, but also studied Geography at university. I volunteered for and was chair of an international youth organisation for seven years where my main task was strategic planning and trainings, and also took part in developing personality-centered trainings and training materials. I have been working at the Energia Klub since 2006. My job is developing and distributing teaching materials and developing materials for awareness-raising campaigns. I do trainings and lectures on energy conscious consumption and on climate change in schools and for companies, in English and German too.
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 Brigitta Bozsó - climate change, project manager
Email: bozso@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3527
I graduated from Corvinus University as a landscape and garden architect, and went on to CEU and studied at the department of Environmental Sciences. I have been in the civil sphere for 6 years (I worked for WWF earlier), I have been a member of the Energia Klub team since 2008. My field is climate politics: supporting and convincing decision-makers on the one hand, in order to create climate-friendly legislation, and informing the public through the media and communication programs on the other. I am also doing international lobby work related to the Climate and Energy package of the EU. I took part in the international climate talks in Poznan and in the social consultation process of the Hungarian national climate change strategy and program. I am an observer of the Energie Cités MODEL project. I have attended a number of international conferences: UNFCCC COP 14 (Poznan), New Global Deal Conference, Agora on Climate Change, Global-contract conference (all three in Brussels), CAN-Europe GA. I am the national coordinator of the project „Engaging civil society in research on sustainable development” starting this year, dealing with the creation of municipal level climate change strategies. Other projects: Time to lead campaign 2008, Building the capacity of Visegrad NGOs for participation in global climate talks. I am also a member of the Climate Change Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Water.
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Judit Horváth - residential energy management, project assistant
Email: judit@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3525
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| PR |
 Gyula Toth - PR, communication
Email: gyulatoth@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3536
I have been dealing with communications for almost a decade. For years I created commercials, I wrote scripts, planned and realised my ideas. All which I learned to encourage consumerism, I now put to use in this new field. In 2008 I joined the Energia Klub team. I gained qualifications as a Hungarian teacher, then lawyer, after which I specialised, taking a degree in environmental law. I am presently studying psychology.
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| Reception |
 Szilvia Engi - office manager
Email: eszilvi@energiaklub.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3520
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Krisztián Németh - IT manager
Email: Nemeth.Krisztian@okotars.hu
Telefon: +36 1 411 3520
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