From the beginning of the EE-Metal project to its conclusion in February 2019 lots of interesting activities have been carried out. On field actions made possible the installation of SCADA energy monitoring plants and the implementation of energy audits and ISO 50001 management systems; the promotion of an energy efficiency knowledge, awareness and culture towards companies and technicians was realized through workshops, training sessions and other dissemination tools (last but not least the EE-Metal website).

As a result, a few months after the end of the project the question is: did companies implement energy efficiency measures that EE-Metal suggested? What is the direct impact of the project on them?

Concerning the 20 Italian metalworking SMEs involved in EE-Metal, at the end of the project more than half of the sample (55%) realized at least one of the suggested improvement actions, while 10% of companies implemented no actions but planned to do it during the current year.

29 energy efficiency actions were carried out and a total primary energy saving of 838,000 kWh per year resulted (3,800 Sm3 ^. of natural gas and 368,000 kWh of electricity). The related investments ensured an annual economical saving for 60 k€ and avoided carbon dioxide emissions _. of 123.3 tons per year.

Lots of actions (30%) focused on the optimization of compressed air plants. Others concerned the improvement of the lighting system and the installation of high efficiency electrical engines (15% each). The remaining 40% of the measures included the installation of monitoring systems, the revamping of production tools and machinery, the thermal insulation and the enhancement of heating systems.

Thus, statistics show a successful and positive impact of the project on selected companies and the perception that this could be only the beginning of a continuous virtuous path is real and concrete. Lot of work remains to be done but the line taken is the right one.