49 percent of energy savings achieved after reconstruction of public buildings in Montenegro

The annual consumption of energy dropped by 49 percent in most of the buildings reconstructed under a program to raise energy efficiency levels in public buildings, the Montenegrin Ministry of the Economy said. The energy efficiency adaptation program covered 43 buildings and monitoring showed that huge energy savings were made in 39 of them.

The reconstruction of the 43 buildings to increase their energy efficiency cost around EUR 34.5 million.

The Ministry of the Economy said that it conducted technical and social monitoring with assessments of savings in 28 schools, two student dormitories and nine hospitals for which data was available for at least one heating season prior to reconstruction.

According to ministry data, the savings in energy amounted to 15,528,.648 kWh which means savings of around 49 percent with CO2 emissions lowered by 5,576 tons.

The Ministry said that the preliminary results of the social monitoring showed that the people working in the newly reconstructed buildings are much more satisfied with the conditions in them and added that energy efficiency is not just savings but also the optimal use of energy to upgrade living standards, protect the environment and develop the economy.

The Montenegro Energy Efficiency Project (MEEP) to the year 2020 is underway in cooperation with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the German KfW development bank which secured loans to raise energy efficiency levels. Montenegro plans to reconstruct a total of 53 public buildings at a cost of EUR 46.5 million as part of the project.

Montenegro has also been implementing the Energy efficiency Program in Public Buildings since 2012 and is planning to complete that program by the end of 2020. It covers schools, student dormitories, health care facilities and retirement homes with plans to make the parliament building, several ministries and judiciary institutions more energy efficient as well.

The Montenegrin government is planning to invest some EUR 4.5 million in the reconstruction of four more schools and health care facilities by the end of 2017.