Dalarna County wins prize for energy-efficiency initiative

Dalarna County wins prize for energy-efficiency initiative

Dalarna County Council is “best in class” when it comes to conserving energy,
and has been chosen by the consulting engineering company Sweco to receive the
25th consecutive Swedish Energy Prize in a ceremony to be held at the Museum of
Modern Art in Stockholm.

“We have reduced our energy usage by half and already met the Swedish
Parliament's targets for heating and electricity consumption for the year 2020,”
says a pleased Jan Sjöberg, Head of the Dalarna County Property Management
Department. 

The Swedish Energy Prize is a competition for technical ideas and innovations
that have been tested in real life and proven effective in saving energy. 

“Dalarna has Sweden's most energy-efficient county council and its Property
Management Department has demonstrated a deep and lasting commitment to energy
issues. This is a truly worthy winner as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of
the prize,” says Karin Annerwall Parö, jury member and President of Sweco
Systems.

The county-owned properties in Dalarna consist mainly of hospitals and other
healthcare buildings that often operate around the clock and are full of
technologically advanced and energy-consuming equipment. 

“There is obviously a great deal of money to be saved by using energy more
-efficiently. Another driver for our efforts is to protect the environment. I am
satisfied that we have succeeded in saving energy without sacrificing a good
indoor climate for the people who use and work in the properties,” says Jan
Sjöberg. 

He points out several factors that have helped the county to cut energy costs.
The Property Management Department has pursued an active, long-term energy
conservation initiative in which measurement and performance monitoring are
important components, and has invested in new and more energy-efficient
technology in connection with rebuilding and renovation. 

“We have also created incentives for those in charge of operating the facilities
and taken steps to change the behaviour of the people who use them, such as
environmental contracts offering lower rents for clinics and patient wards that
work actively to conserve energy,” says Jan Sjöberg. 
The prize ceremony will be held on 20 November 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art
in Stockholm. 


For further information please contact:
Jan Sjöberg, 2008-års pristagare,+46 70-209 76 45 
Karin Annerwall Parö, vd Sweco Systems medlem av juryn, +46 734-12 66 62

Sweco is a provider of international consulting engineering services with
combined expertise in engineering, environmental technology and architecture.
The Group has annual sales of approximately SEK 4.6 billion and 5,400 employees
in ten countries. The company has projects currently underway in some 80
countries worldwide. Sweco is a member of the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm.

The information contained herein may be subject to the disclosure requirements
in the Swedish Securities Exchange and Clearing Operations Act and/or the
Financial Instruments Trading Act.