• Establish the institutional foundations and regulatory framework for energy efficiency
• Develop incentives and support tools for energy efficiency
• Prepare useful and accessible information for making public and private decisions, as well as collective and individual decisions
• Position and introduce energy efficiency in all levels of training, both formal and informal
• Take advantage of international experiences and instruments to accelerate the development of energy efficiency and measure the reduction in generated emissions
• Strengthen institutional management through process quality

• Create energy efficiency policies to be adopted by the country, in order to create an appropriate regulatory framework and establish a plan of action for the medium and long term that enables active development in this area.
• Develop ways to educate, disseminate and position energy efficiency as an essential source of energy, working with Chile's citizens and major energy consumers such as industry, transport, housing, construction, commerce, mining and the public sector.
• In the technical area, work is being done to optimize energy consumption for the different productive sectors and provide the necessary tools for industry to implement energy efficiency measures and attain the real savings potential.
• Provide incentives for substitution with efficient technology, in homes as well as industrial processes.
  

On January 24, 2005, the Chilean government brought together a group of public and private stakeholders and charged the Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction with starting up and implementing the Programa País de Eficiencia Energética (PPEE).

The creation of the PPEE was based on an evaluation of the country's environmental performance carried out in 2005 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which in its recommendations emphasized the importance of including energy efficiency in the nation's development.

Meanwhile, on February 16, 2005, the Chilean government signed the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change, which established the need for signatory countries to commit to: "promoting energy efficiency in key sectors of the economy".

The PPEE, which became part of the Comisión Nacional de Energía in January 2008, has contributed to sustainable energy development in Chile, working with public and private institutions to stimulate important progress. This includes the 2.6% reduction in energy demand in the Central Integrated System between March 2008 and March 2009, in comparison to the same period in the previous year. The PPEE has also succeeded in establishing energy efficiency as one of the pillars of Chile's energy policy and as a central issue in energy use.

That was the policy proposed by President Michelle Bachelet in a speech on May 21, 2008, when she stated that the country's focus should be on security of supply, diversification of energy sources and savings and efficiency. According to the President, "this is not about investing in more and more energy, but about using it appropriately and efficiently".

Year after year, the importance of energy efficiency has been reflected in the steady, significant increase in the budget for the Programa País de Eficiencia Energética. Its budget grew from 50 million pesos in 2006 to 1.5 billion pesos in 2007, 6.5 billion pesos in 2007 and 19.5 billion pesos this year. (Graphic)

Cristián Cárdenas is currently the Director of the National Energy Efficiency Program (PPEE in spanish), a program developed under the Ministry of Energy.

The purpose of the Office of the Deputy Director for Public Policy is to generate, evaluate and update the Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Chile, which serves as a short-, medium- and long-term guide for maximizing the country's energy efficiency potential.

In this area, the work approach includes the design and evaluation of energy efficiency policy, incentive programs and instruments, the regulatory framework, as well as coordination among sectors.

The purpose of this area is to provide users with energy efficiency information that is differentiated, updated and systematic.

This is done through the implementation of various initiatives in the field of information technology.

Along these lines, work has been done on organizing, analyzing and processing available documentation and information on energy efficiency; automating and standardizing information-generating processes; and designing, implementing and maintaining the PPEE web page.

The purpose of this area is to educate, train, create awareness and implement energy efficiency competencies in the various energy consumption segments and/or among those who benefit from the projects and incentives promoted by the PPEE.

This work is reflected in activities in formal education, including elementary schools, high schools and universities; training and awareness activities aimed at communities and social leaders; labor skills training and workshops; educational campaigns through the media and audiovisual support; and development of educational and informational material.

The purpose of this area is to evaluate, select and introduce energy-efficient technologies in the various consumption sectors.

This is done by supporting the development and introduction of new technologies that promote energy savings and energy efficiency at various production and social levels, with incentives for financing energy efficient technology projects, financing for specific projects, information about the market for efficient products and evaluation of new technologies.

The purpose of this area is to facilitate the development of a market for quality energy services in the industry, commerce and transport sectors, as well as in buildings and public lighting.

To do this, the PPEE develops public instruments that promote energy efficiency in productive sectors, addresses technical intermediation of energy services in various sectors, strengthens the role of the public sector as a catalyst for energy efficiency initiatives and implements measures to reduce fuel consumption and improve energy management in the transport sector.

The purpose of this area is to promote efficient energy use in accordance with the characteristics of the various productive and service sectors.

To do this, it promotes and coordinates the establishment of various working groups that stimulate appropriate use of energy in companies and different key sectors. For each sector, an energy assessment is carried out and then, based on the information collected, joint strategic planning is done to define the activities and projects that will address the sector, as well as the mechanisms for execution and subsequent dissemination of the results obtained.

The role of the communications area is to position energy efficiency as a key issue for citizens, public opinion and the various sectors of interest.

This is done through planning a variety of PPEE communications activities around a common strategy; providing support to the different areas to establish strategic links with the private and public sectors, the media, government authorities and civil society; establishing communications guidelines for responding to emergency issues; and shaping the various publicity campaigns and activities related to energy efficiency.

The purpose of this area is to disseminate, promote and consolidate energy efficiency throughout Chile, using the Regional Energy Efficiency Working Groups as an instrument for achieving this goal.

This is done through promoting and disseminating instruments developed by the PPEE, guaranteeing regional access to public services in this area; developing regional energy efficiency strategies that address the unique characteristics of each part of the country and which focus on those areas with the greatest potential for improvement; and identifying and prioritizing activities to be carried out in each region, depending on its unique characteristics and the program's mission.

The mission of this department is to take advantage of international experiences and instruments to accelerate the development of energy efficiency in the country.
This area supports PPEE management in the design of appropriate public policies through observation of and research on best practice, public policy and technology from around the world; provides information for determining the political and economic feasibility of adopting such instruments; and develops projects that incorporate best practice from international experience and instruments to achieve their optimal development in Chile. All of this is done through coordination with and support from international organisms; the establishment of bilateral agreements with foreign institutions; promotion of cooperation and business in energy efficiency; and observation of international experiences.
In this area, it is worth mentioning the analyses of Chile's current policies which have been carried out by the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) and the International Energy Agency. These entities reviewed aspects of the country's institutional framework, efficient generation, co-generation, buildings and minimum efficiency standards. Likewise, bilateral agreements with research and development institutions from other countries are in place to facilitate consultancy and information transfer regarding new technologies and public policy.

The role of this area is to coordinate the establishment of the institutional framework for energy efficiency in Chile and to ensure its compatibility with the tools and incentives created for this area.

The aim is to coordinate and propose the design of a new institutional framework for energy efficiency; to study measures that provide incentives for efficient energy use through modifications to existing regulations; and to develop oversight and accountability mechanisms that make this institutional framework more effective.

Work is being carried out to strengthen energy efficiency among the electricity distribution companies; on the creation of the Agencia Chilena de Eficiencia Energética (Chilean Energy Efficiency Agency); on labeling and minimum energy efficiency standards; on review of institutional complexities; and on the study and design of a mechanism to determine acceptable levels of energy consumption.

The responsibility of this area is to strengthen institutional management through the formulation of operations planning and implementation of management oversight tools that improve process quality.

Toward that end, the area's objectives include operations planning and formulation of the annual budget; design and implementation of management oversight tools; inclusion of quality criteria in actions; and preparation of reports on management.

This area's achievements include consolidation of annual operations planning, preparation of the budget and support material for presentation to government authorities, monitoring of PPEE plans and initiatives (government commitments and performance agreements, among others), organization of days dedicated to evaluating progress and results, reporting on progress and plan fulfillment (deviations and corrections), maintenance of updated information on achievements in order to show results, improvement of critical processes, risk management, setting the citizen participation agenda and serving as the counterpart to the Programa de Mejoramiento de la Gestión (Management Improvement Program) and quality management reporting to the Comisión Nacional de Energía.

The purpose of this department is to provide support to and facilitate the work of the various PPEE areas from an administrative and budgetary perspective.

Its work is centered on optimizing the business model; improving procedures; maximizing the program budget; and coordinating with the Comisión Nacional de Energía.

This has been achieved through budget management for each area, procedure optimization, and annual budget preparation, all in coordination with PPEE planning and oversight, as well as public tender and procurement processes.

This area is responsible for ensuring that all PPEE activities comply with current laws and regulations by providing legal consultancy to the different PPEE areas in order to help them meet their objectives and carry out their initiatives and projects.