Co-PLAN, Ekolevizja, Milieukontakt Albania and Eden Centre co-organized a national workshop on the 12th of December 2013, focusing on aspects of residential energy efficiency, and to fulfill the following objectives: (i) Provide an analysis of the institutional and legislative progress to date, in the energy efficiency sector in condominiums; (ii) Present recommendations to improve the current legislative and institutional framework for increasing energy efficiency in condominiums in Albania; (iii) Raise awareness among citizens, civil society organizations, and institutions on the necessity for progress in this field and (iv) strengthen the role of civil society in improving legal framework on energy efficiency and facilitating its implementation.
Some of the opening remarks of the workshop were held by representative of EU Delegation in Albania, and officials of the Ministry of Energy and Industry.
During the workshop there were raised several issues through presentation on: (i) Legal gap analysis on energy efficiency in residential sector; (ii) Energy efficiency in residential building – from citizens knowhow to implementation; (iii) Monitoring and analysis of energy efficiency in residential – An Open-source Prospective Energy Analysis tool; (iv) Financial instruments for supporting energy efficiency in residential.
Foreign donors located in Albania, CSOs working in the field of environment (more precisely on energy efficiency) and representative from the ministry delivered deeply augmented discussion, which ended in some conclusion to be followed up the next year: (i) Legal framework should be updated according to the new EU Directive on energy efficiency; (ii) It should be regularly consulted with groups of interests, especially with civil society for the methodology, energy efficiency calculation, certification and auditing bodies etc; (iii) It is absolutely necessary to know the energetic performances of building stock based on real calculations to put real objective for the future; (iv) Establishment of the environmental and energy efficiency fund, which should include the coordination role and implementation of projects; (v) Integration of energy efficiency elements in the construction code; (vi) The system dealing with energy efficiency issues have absolute needs to increase capacity building and train and qualify them, where civil society and academic institutions should play an important role on preparing curricula for certification of expertise on energy efficiency issues; (vii) State institutions should integrate and coordinate their plans and projects, to profit from their wide experience on protecting and promoting community interests.