A three-day training seminar “Projects of energy efficient hromada” for AHs started at the Dnipropetrovsk Local Government Development Centre, established with the support of U-LEAD with Europe Programme and MinRegion of Ukraine.

The energy efficiency issues of communal institutions are among the priorities for all amalgamated hromadas in the region, since hromadas are currently counting funds for the heating of schools, kindergartens and healthcare facilities themselves. In addition, to make buildings warm and save the local budget, measures need to be taken to keep heat in the buildings, and money in the budgets. All civilised countries of the world follow this principle, and AH representatives of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast had the chance to witness it last week, when they were studying decentralisation experience of the neighbouring Poland. Our task is to apply such experience on the territory of our oblast,” said Olena Tertyshna, director of the Centre.

In her viewpoint, it is particularly important to hold such a seminar on the eve of the formation of local budgets, so that hromadas include necessary funds for energy efficiency measures in their estimates for the next year. These measures envisage energy audits of buildings, their insulation, installation of modern heat-resistant windows and doors, and use of alternative heating sources.

Anton Nemets, energy efficiency trainer, and Svitlana Rozhok, expert from the town of Nizhyn and head of hromadas’ development centre “Perspektyva”, told the representatives of the newly established amalgamated hromadas in the region how to set energy efficiency in AHs.

According to statistics, the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is the largest consumer of energy resources in Ukraine and, pursuant to the trainers, consumes five times more energy per year than the Swedish cities: 190-200 kW*h/m2 in our country versus 30-60 kW*h/m2 in the Scandinavian country. And given the fact that hromadas are now counting their own funds themselves, they need to learn how to use them effectively, while improving the standard of life of citizens.

The trainers advised the seminar participants where to find money for energy saving and how to win grants to insulate buildings. Olena Hladka, municipal development expert, assured the audience that the Centre will help to create energy-efficient projects and achieve results.