Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The share of consumption of public buildings in the total energy balance of Uzbekistan is about 40%, ahead of industry and the transport sector.

This is discussed during the "round table on the theme “Development of a program to improve the energy efficiency of buildings”, taking place today in Tashkent.

As the First Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan Azim Akhmedkhadjayev emphasized in his welcoming speech, the energy saving potential of social buildings, such as educational and medical institutions, exceeds 40%, which is also important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Only the replacement of heating boilers with modern energy-saving ones will save about 20% of natural gas consumption.

During the presentations of the Ministry of Energy, it was noted that the actual average consumption for heating (specific heat consumption) in Uzbekistan averages 320-390 kWh / m2, while for comparison, in Holland with colder climatic conditions, this figure is 95 kW h / m2, the average for Europe is 150 kWh / m2, and the world average is about 220 kWh / m2.

At the same time, according to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Uzbekistan intends to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2030, and in order to achieve this goal in the low-carbon development strategy, the Government has identified priority sectors, among which, the greatest potential for saving energy resources and, accordingly, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the public buildings sector.

The main criteria for the energy efficiency of buildings are: natural light; ventilation and recuperation, heating and cooling, and thermal insulation of buildings.

The participants also included members of the management and experts of the World Bank, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services.

During the round table, experts discuss the reasons for high energy consumption in the sector of buildings and structures, which are the non-compliance of their technical characteristics with modern energy efficiency requirements, including the use of ineffective lighting, heating, air conditioning, thermal insulation materials, etc.

It was noted that a number of decisions of the Government of the country provide for separate norms in order to radically increase the requirements for energy efficiency of newly constructed and reconstructed buildings. These norms regulate, along with the revision of urban planning norms and rules, the development of regulatory documents to determine the energy efficiency classes of buildings and structures, as well as the installation by state bodies and organizations in existing buildings on their balance sheet, small solar photovoltaic stations, solar water heaters, heat pumps, sensor sensors combined with LED sources for lighting systems, energy-efficient gas burners, etc.

It was noted that ensuring the energy efficiency of buildings in accordance with building codes and regulations, the use of energy efficient technologies in the reconstruction and construction of buildings and structures will save about 1.1 billion m3 of natural gas (946 thousand tons of oil equivalent) annually.

The participants noted that the development and adoption of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Program will make a significant contribution to achieving the goal of low-carbon development of the country.