Successful retrofitting of 3 kindergartens in Rustavi with modern insulation and energy efficient lighting and appliances reduced energy use by 50%

On September 27.2017,between 10:00-14:00, the Sustainable Development and Policy (SDAP) Center held a summing-up conference – “Georgian experience in implementation of the EU energy-efficiency projects,” where it presented to results of the EU funded project „Retrofitting 3 kindergartens in Rustavi City in order to achieve high energy efficiency standards and greenhouse emission reduction”.

Representatives of the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Rustavi municipality and “Covenant of Mayors” signatory cities and municipalities, the EU and non-governmental organizations took part in the conference.

“In Georgia, buildings are very inefficient due to age and construction standards, coupled with the lack of modern energy performance regulation for new constructions. As a result, many public and private buildings are under-heated, with negative effects on health, education, economic activity, and economic development in general.As this project shows, the potential of new investments in energy efficiency of buildings is substantial, and the EU is happy to be a part of this process” noted Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Georgia, Vincent Rey.

SDAP Center Director, Karine Melikidze presented the project activities, which included covered installation of the heating (with boiler room) and the hot water supply systems (in combination with solar collectors) as well as the comprehensive ventilation system with the heat recovery, the absolutely new lighting system with the efficient bulbs, and energy-efficient windows with the low emissivity glazing and sealing tapes. The reconstruction also included the thermal modernization/ insulation of the exterior components of the kindergarten buildings. The technical design of insulation of the building’s exterior components was developed with the EU ETICS guidelines and implemented accordingly in # 6 and # 40 kindergartens.

The energy-efficient retrofitting of the kindergartens #6, #40 and #41 will help local authorities to target energy efficiency, enhance energy security, improve sustainability and reduce energy consumption as well as greenhouse emissions.

With the energy efficient rehabilitation the energy consumption in the targeted kindergartens will be reduced by 50% together with CO2 emissions.

It project was implemented in 2015-2017 with a total budget of EUR 808 765 (GEL 2.4 million), of which the EU contributed EUR 646 527 (GEL 1.9 million),and Rustavi City Municipality EUR 162 236 (GEL 500,000).

It was fundedunder the EU’s “Covenant of Mayors Demonstration Projects” (CoMDeP) Programme, which aims to show the benefits of implementation Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) adopted by the various Municipalities under the Covenant of Mayors in Georgia.

About the Covenant of Mayors:

After the 2008 adoptionof the 2020 EU Climate and Energy Package, the European Union launched the Covenant of Mayors to endorse and support the efforts deployed by local authorities in the implementation of sustainable energy policies.The Covenant of Mayors is a unique bottom-up movement that succeeded in mobilising a great number of local and regional authorities to develop action plans and direct investments towards climate change mitigation measures.

In Georgia, there are 10 signatories: Akhaltsikhe, Batumi, Bolnisi, Gori, Kutaisi, Mtskheta, Rustavi, Tbilisi, Telavi, Zugdidi.