History

How it all started

LTA1
At the beginning of the nineties the Ministry of Economic Affairs makes the first agreements with the business community about improvement energy efficiency. This leads to covenants with the energy intensive sectors (LTA1). A few years later commercial service providers, the educational sector, health care providers and a number of agricultural sectors also join in. 

This first generation of long-term agreements for the industrial sectors ran until the year 2000. A few LTA1 covenants that were entered into at a later date run on even longer. The project is a success: energy efficiency improves by 22.3% in ten years. Industry and the government decide to make further agreements. That leads to new covenants (LTA2 and the Covenant Benchmarking Energy Efficiency) with a term that runs until 2012.

Signing of LTA2

LTA2 
The energy intensive companies with an energy consumption greater than 0.5 PJ per year sign the Covenant Benchmarking Energy Efficiency, which aims at matching the world top in terms of energy efficiency. The medium-sized and small industrial companies continue their efforts in LTA2. A condition for participation in LTA2 is that the energy consumption in the sector is at least 1 PJ per year. In addition, the participating companies must be jointly responsible for 80% of the energy consumption in their sector. Most LTA1 covenants have now expired. The financial and educational sectors will continue with LTA2; that transition will be initiated in 2007. The supermarkets sector, with a term until 2010, will continue to operate in LTA1 for the time being.

15 Years of LTA - 1992-2007
The long-term agreements on energy efficiency (LTAs) have existed for 15 years. A reason to celebrate? Well, yes and no. Yes, because during that time the LTA programme has led to an overall energy efficiency improvement of approximately 2.1% on average per year. And no, because a lot must - and can - still be done. Moreover, not all companies (and sectors) are participating in LTA. However, the signs are favourable. Energy efficiency is more topical than ever. Today it is an integral part of modern industry. It is also high on the policy agenda of the current cabinet.