The public sector is shaping a new culture of energy consumption

Every year, Ukrainian state institutions spend more than 90 billion hryvnias on energy costs. Of this, 23.6 billion hryvnias fall to the state budget, and another 67.8 billion hryvnias to local ones.

The implementation of energy efficiency measures can reduce these costs almost by half, saving about 45 billion hryvnias each year. This is a significant financial resource that can be directed to the development of the country.

A year ago, the Government set a specific goal - to reduce energy consumption in public sector buildings. In order to implement the EU initiative "Ukraine Facility", the National Energy and Climate Plan until 2030, as well as Directive (EU) 2023/1791 "On Energy Efficiency" regarding the exemplary role of public institution buildings, the #EnergyIndependence program was launched.

During the event “Energy Modernization in Action: Experience of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and Opportunities for Central Governments”, the Head of the Alternative Energy Department, Olena Lenska, emphasized the importance of a systematic approach to the implementation of energy-efficient solutions in the public sector.

“During the year, the State Energy Efficiency Agency addressed requests to the Central Governments, conducted consultations, collected and processed applications. This allowed us to identify the real needs of state institutions and form an effective action plan to increase energy efficiency and introduce renewable energy sources in public sector buildings,” Olena Lenska emphasized.

Based on the results of the work, the following were selected:

• 2,918 buildings for energy certification/audits;
• 26 enterprises for energy audits of processes;
• 1,550 facilities for the installation of solar power plants with storage tanks with a total capacity requirement of 51.6 MW.

Such steps not only allow to optimize costs, but also form new standards of energy resource management in the public sector.

The implementation of the program will allow to produce almost 68 GWh of clean energy every year, reduce CO₂ emissions by 28.4 thousand tons and save UAH 575 million of budget funds.

Every kilowatt that we save is a contribution to energy security, financial stability and independence from external suppliers.

Today, central executive authorities are forming a new culture of energy consumption - responsible and oriented towards European standards, and each modernized building is an opportunity for the development of an energy-independent and sustainable Ukraine.