Energy EfficiencyRedefining Energy Audits: The DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach for European SMEs
Summary
The DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach is a method aimed at boosting energy efficiency in European SMEs by recognizing broader business benefits rather than focusing solely on energy cost savings. Developed under the EU's Horizon 2020 program, DEESME advocates for energy audits and management systems that identify additional benefits like increased productivity, reduced environmental impact, improved health and safety, stronger brand reputation, compliance, and employee satisfaction.
This approach involves four stages, starting with a Business Analysis that aligns energy efficiency with business priorities. The Energy Analysis focuses on energy usage data, followed by a Multiple Benefits Analysis to identify and measure extra financial, environmental, social, and reputational benefits from efficiency measures. The final stage is Business Model Sustainability Advancement, where the business integrates the findings into its model for sustainable growth, often resulting in innovation and improved sustainability communication.
The DEESME approach emphasizes skill-building and team engagement across various company departments. It uses case studies to illustrate the multiplicative effects of integrating energy efficiency with broader business improvements. This strategy prepares businesses for future EU policies, sustainable finance opportunities, attracting talent, and comprehensive regulatory compliance. It's also supported by interactive materials and tools like Enerwhizz, an educational mobile quiz game designed to foster knowledge and competitiveness in energy management.
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Redefining Energy Audits: The DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach for European SMEs
Picture a typical small factory in Europe. The machines are humming, staff are busy with production, and energy bills arrive month after month. For many business owners, energy efficiency feels like just another compliance box to tick—an annual audit, a checklist, a report filed away. But what if energy audits could unlock a world of multiple benefits, from cost savings and sustainability to improved employee satisfaction and business innovation?
This is the promise of the DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach, a new method reshaping how energy efficiency is managed in European small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Let’s explore how this approach moves beyond the standard audit, helping businesses—and their future leaders—connect energy decisions with broader business value.
The State of Play: Energy Audits as a Strategic Tool
In the EU, energy efficiency is recognized as one of the most effective ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost competitiveness, and ensure energy security. Under the Energy Efficiency Directive, large companies are required to carry out regular energy audits, but for SMEs, audits are only recommended. Many SMEs face barriers: limited staff, technical knowledge, or investment capital. As a result, energy-saving opportunities are often overlooked.
Enter the DEESME project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. DEESME doesn’t just teach companies to save kilowatt-hours; it trains them to see the full business picture. The project’s core idea: energy audits and management systems should help SMEs recognize and harness a wide range of business benefits, not just lower energy bills. These include:
- Increased productivity and efficiency
- Reduced environmental impact and carbon footprint
- Improved workplace health and safety
- Stronger brand reputation and regulatory compliance
- Employee engagement and satisfaction
Innovation in Action: The Four Stages of the DEESME Approach
The DEESME method transforms the traditional energy audit into a cycle of business improvement. It is structured around four practical stages:
1. Business Analysis:
The process starts with a deep dive into the business model. Using the Business Model Canvas, managers and auditors analyze company operations, cost structures, partnerships, and value propositions. This stage ensures that energy efficiency actions are tailored to real business priorities, not just technical quick wins.
2. Energy Analysis:
Next, companies undergo a systematic energy audit—collecting data on how energy is used, where it is wasted, and how processes can be improved. An optional but powerful step is carbon footprint estimation, giving businesses a concrete sense of their environmental impact.
3. Multiple Benefits Analysis:
Here’s where DEESME stands out: rather than stopping at “energy saved,” the approach identifies and evaluates all the additional benefits linked to efficiency measures. For example, better lighting can enhance staff morale; optimized heating can reduce maintenance costs and absenteeism. Companies create an “open list” of benefits—financial, environmental, social, and even reputational—and use practical indicators to measure them.
4. Business Model Sustainability Advancement:
Finally, the business model is revisited in light of the audit and multiple benefits analysis. Can the company innovate—launching new green products, improving supply chain relationships, or communicating sustainability achievements to customers? The result is a roadmap for sustainable business growth, with energy efficiency as a core driver.
Building Skills and Engaging People
One of the greatest strengths of the DEESME approach is its focus on people. The method includes interactive training materials for both energy auditors and business managers. These resources explain:
- How to identify multiple benefits relevant to different departments (e.g., HR, marketing, operations)
- Which indicators to use (like reduced maintenance costs, improved product quality, or increased customer loyalty)
- How to evaluate and prioritize opportunities for business improvement
By involving diverse teams—strategy, operations, finance, and technical staff—DEESME helps embed energy efficiency into the company’s DNA. For students and young professionals, mastering these skills means being equipped to drive meaningful change across functions, not just in engineering or environmental roles.
Case Study Snapshots: Multiple Benefits in Action
The DEESME project shares real-world examples:
- Heating System Upgrade: A mechanical manufacturer switched from gas-powered fans to infrared panels, improving comfort and air quality while cutting energy use and maintenance needs. Staff wellbeing rose, and internal communication about sustainability improved.
- Steam System Revamp: A chemical plant redesigned its steam distribution system, reducing energy losses, improving safety, and boosting operational reliability. The new system also enabled better relationships with public authorities and local communities.
These stories illustrate how technical measures, when seen through the lens of multiple benefits, can trigger a cascade of positive impacts.
Shaping the Future: Why Multiple Benefits Matter
The DEESME approach is more than a technical guideline—it’s a mindset shift. As the EU moves toward stricter sustainability policies and reporting requirements, companies that recognize and document multiple benefits will be better prepared for:
- Sustainable finance opportunities: Green loans and investor interest in companies with broad impacts
- Attracting top talent: Young professionals seek employers with a holistic commitment to people, planet, and profit
- Regulatory compliance and reputation: Meeting not just energy targets, but also social and governance goals
By seeing energy efficiency as a platform for innovation and societal value, tomorrow’s leaders can help transform businesses—and the economy at large.
Take Action: Learn, Compete, and Win!
Want to test your skills and deepen your knowledge? Try the mobile quiz Enerwhizz—a multilingual, fast-paced competitive game with 45-second rounds. Join leagues, accomplish missions, and win gems, prizes, and ET coins! It’s the perfect way to connect with peers and stay sharp in the fast-changing world of energy management.
Play now: https://enerwhizz.app/
Key Takeaways
- The DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach turns energy audits into strategic business tools, unlocking value across productivity, sustainability, and employee wellbeing.
- It empowers SMEs to move beyond compliance and use energy efficiency for innovation, competitive advantage, and societal impact.
- Future leaders—across engineering, business, and policy—are needed to spread this mindset and drive the energy transition forward.
Sources & more…
More on DEESME Multiple Benefits Approach: https://ieecp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/D3.2_DEESME-Final_rev7-v2-23-06-22.pdf
More on D2050, the underlying EU project, check via “all EEIP projects”: https://projects.ee-ip.org/#ongoing-projects
More information on the EnerWhizz mobile quiz game, check: https://www.enerwhizz.info/
