On November 8, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the draft regulations developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD), which provide funding for improving the energy efficiency of municipal buildings. The total funding of 29.304 million euro available for investment from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which will be awarded as a grant..
The regulations were developed with the aim of improving the energy efficiency of municipal buildings and infrastructure, including the expansion of renewable energy technologies usage, in order to reduce the annual primary energy consumption and achieve energy savings by implementing the most effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to improve the energy efficiency and heat resistance of municipal buildings.
In the European Union, the energy consumed by buildings accounts for approximately 40% of energy consumption, but energy-efficient renovation of buildings is carried out in only 1% of buildings per year, therefore, in order to achieve the goals of climate neutrality, it is necessary to increase the amount of renovation of buildings in the coming years. At the same time, it is essential to increase the use of renewable energy technologies, which promote energy independence from imported energy resources.
In Latvia, there are still many buildings with a low level of energy efficiency in the group of municipal buildings, so the implementation of energy efficiency measures for these buildings is essential. At the same time, by reducing the energy consumption of these buildings, it is necessary to ensure the indoor air exchange and ventilation of the buildings, which do not cause harm to health.
The total available funding is 29,304,000 euros, which will be awarded through an open selection of project submissions. Within one project, the minimum amount will be 30,000 euros and the maximum - 2,000,000 euros. Municipalities will be able to apply for funding, incl. institutions established by municipalities, capital companies of municipalities or public private capital companies that carry out administrative tasks delegated by the municipality or have concluded a service contract for the provision of public services, and the project is intended to be implemented in buildings where no economic activity is carried out, except for cases where public services are implemented in buildings or parts of buildings services (water management or heat supply public services or health care services paid for by the state or municipality).
Within the project, the local government must achieve primary energy savings of at least 30%, as well as all planned construction activities must be in high readiness at the time of submitting the project application.
The selection of project submissions is organized by the Central Finance and Contracts Agency (CFCA) in cooperation with MoEPRD. After harmonizing the tender regulations, CFCA will announce the selection of open project submissions by publishing information in the official publication "Latvijas Vēstnesis" and on the website www.cfla.gov.lv .