Ilija Sazdovski: Energy efficiency in the buildings sector is a main player in climate change mitigation

PHOTO: Milan Nedelkovski

The United Nations Development Programme in Macedonia recently started the project “Mitigating climate change through improving energy efficiency in the buildings sector”. Which areas of action does this project include?

The project is one of the three components of the programme for energy efficiency financed by Austrian Development Co-operation and is intended to mitigate climate change in the country through improving energy efficiency in the buildings sector, increasing public awareness and increasing the resources of participating institutions for energy efficiency. The programme for energy efficiency also is intended to support the Macedonian Energy Agency in creating regulations and applicable tools for energy efficiency in the building sector, to provide long-term sustainability through supporting changes to the guidelines for proper facilities, to improve interaction and co-operation between the government and an equipped business community, and to increase the public and consumer awareness for energy efficiency.

For the long-term, the project activities shall contribute to decreasing energy consumption in residential and public buildings, which not only will decrease energy consumption, energy loss and greenhouse gas emissions, but will also increase the energy independence of our country.

The specific aim of this project, which will be implemented by UNDP, is to contribute to the above-mentioned goals.

The main results of this project shall be the following: establishing a national base of climatological parameters for each region, creating an inventory of public buildings in the entire country and developing an effective investment-orientated programme for energy efficiency of public facilities.

The increase of energy efficiency in the building sector also draws changes to legal regulations. In addition, what is your co-operation with the institutions responsible, mostly with the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning as the directly authorised body for this kind of discussion?

UNDP has a history of excellent co-operation with the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, firstly through preparing the key strategies and reports on climate change. This project continues the already-established dynamics of the partnership implementation of projects and activities. Also, the project shall be implemented with the Energy Agency and the Ministry of Economy, with whom we also have excellent co-operation. The key methodologies for collecting data must be recognised and included as part of the methodology for calculating the energy performance of facilities. Moreover, it is impossible to collect data for the base inventory of the public without the support of all interested parties in the sector, so in addition to these institutions, the project will collaborate with academic institutions, the business sector and other donors projects in this area, as well as the non-governmental sector.

In the past two years, the government has, on several occasions, subsidised the usage of renewable energy sources (specifically, solar energy). Can we soon also expect subsidies for energy efficiency in households?

Subsidies for solar systems for obtaining hot potable water is one of the great actions to raise public awareness. I hope that the same practice will be applied for materials for energy efficiency, too. The problem is the wide range of products that are defined as energy efficient, because energy efficiency includes products such as insulation, construction materials, households devices, vehicles and so on. On the other hand, energy efficiency of buildings starts with spatial planning. All these facts create difficulties in implementing direct subsidies or decreasing the tax rate. Still, I am an optimist and believe that the government, in co-operation with the sector, can find a modus for subsiding energy-efficient products.

Does the building sector in the Republic of Macedonia have a feeling for this type of issue? Do you expect its support, precisely as regards implementation of innovative tools for energy efficient facilities by construction companies?

In December last year, the introductory workshop of the project was organised, with 30 participants being invited. I was really surprised when almost 50 people attended the workshop, which clearly shows the interest of the sector for taking part in this initiative. Construction companies are definitely the key link within the whole chain of the activities’ implementation. Actually, they are the ones that need to implement the decisions and rulebooks. Their dedication for inclusion was shown by the participation of the Chamber of Commerce in the working group, as well as the inclusion of several leading companies.

What are your recommendations to citizens for decreasing energy consumption in residential buildings, and especially in public institutions?

Climate change and sustainable energy are taken as key priorities concerning the dependence of the Republic of Macedonia on imported fuels and in regards to the foreseen use of domestic reserves of coal. One of the spheres where action should be taken is the building sector, which made 39 per cent of the total energy consumption. Public facilities and the residential sector were responsible for the 69 per cent of electricity consumed and 40 per cent of thermal energy produced in Macedonia. Together, their production comprised 71 per cent of the country's total emissions of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, at a national level, the decentralisation that is still ongoing in the Republic of Macedonia transferred, in the first phase, numerous obligations to the local governments. One of the biggest problems that municipalities are facing is personal energy consumption.

In addition, for many households in Macedonia, monthly energy expenses present the highest item in the family budget. There are no indications that the prices for different types of energy will fall in the future; it is the opposite. Measures for energy savings, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources present the most suitable tools in the fight against energy poverty and climate change. Each of us can contribute to that fight.