Budget and residential buildings in Ukraine consume about 40% of all energy – about the same as the whole industry. These are huge amounts that will be increasingly burdensome for consumers and the state.
For example, more than 80,000 cubic meters of gas per year are needed to heat the dormitory No. 4 of Lviv Polytechnic National University. In monetary terms, this is 55 thousand euros (about 1.8 million hryvnias) at current prices.
The good news is that in the foreseeable future, the heat consumption of this dormitory will drop by almost five times.
Lviv Polytechnic National University is one of the higher education institutions that will receive funding for thermal modernization of buildings within the first stage of the Higher Education of Ukraine project.
Improving the energy efficiency of buildings and reducing the operating costs of public universities is one of the project areas. € 160 million is earmarked for these needs. 120 million of them are provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the rest – by the Nordic Environmental Finance Corporation (NEFCO) and the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P).
For example, 22 buildings worth more than 11 million euros will be modernized at Lviv Polytechnic at the expense of the EIB. It is expected that the total energy consumption in these academic buildings and dormitories will be reduced by almost half.
– The «youngest» of the academic buildings and dormitories planned for thermal modernization were built in 1986, and there are buildings of the XIX century as well. It is difficult to heat them properly, at the same time we are losing significant funds, – says Volodymyr Kraiovskyi, Vice-Rector for Training and Production. – It is estimated that due to the project we will achieve thermal comfort in all 22 buildings – the standard temperature of 20° C. Along with significant savings, thermal modernization will make study better and more comfortable.
The project envisages thermal insulation of buildings and modernization of heating systems, installation of modern ventilation systems, individual thermal substations and LED lamps, introduction of energy management system.
There are also plans to improve what affects the functionality of the building, comfort, ensuring a lasting effect of the implemented energy efficiency measures. For example, there are plans to repair the roof, replace windows and doors, and modernize sewerage and fire safety systems.
Such work is also planned in other universities that participate in the project «Higher Education of Ukraine».
More details are available on the website epravda.com.ua.