One of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s strategic priorities is joining the European Union. BiH’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement went into force in 2015 to intensify the work and commitment of all institutions regarding a significant number of obligations that BiH has undertaken by signing this and all other agreements in the process of joining the EU. Even though the energy efficiency sector is one of the most prominent sectors with a great potential for sustainable and comprehensive socio-economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is still necessary to approach its development strategically. Therefore, one should consider all possibilities and resources that BiH currently has and opportunities for improving and resolving current shortcomings.
Buildings in BiH are primarily old, heating and cooling systems are outdated, and the majority of them lack insulation. Therefore, in addition to the potentials for energy savings, by improving energy efficiency (EE), public and housing facilities also have a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of measures to improve heating systems and replace energy sources, without disrupting working and living conditions and at the same time saving the costs. Examples of projects implementing EE measures throughout the world imply that a critical factor for implementing EE programs is to design educational activities, and inform and raise people’s awareness about the importance of energy efficiency in protection of the environment. According to the World Health Organization last year’s report, environmental health risks in Europe cause 1.4 million deaths per year. The majority of these deaths could be prevented, given that environmental pollution results from human activities.
To achieve energy, environmental, and economic sustainability and join the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina started financing BiH Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) with the loan from the World Bank, that is, the International Development Association (IDA). Through the Implementation Unit of the BEEP Project, the Ministry of Spatial Planning of the Federation of BiH is responsible for the preparation, coordination, management, and implementation of the Project in the Federation of BiH, including education of the broader audience on this topic.
The main development goal of the BiH Energy Efficiency Project is to present advantages of improving EE in public sector buildings and to support the development of scalable energy efficiency financing models. The Project is dedicated to refurbishing and insulating public buildings; from 2016 to 2020, the EE measures are successfully implemented on 55 facilities in the Federation of BiH, whose renovation cost 25 million BAM. Some of the results achieved by 2020: estimated savings of 17.716.570 kWh/yr., improved living conditions for more than 457.009 users, 1.325 new green jobs, the average investment of 456.148 BAM per building, CO2 emission reduced to 4.564 t/yr. In addition, new models for financing scalable mechanisms and building market capacities were prepared to develop flexible models for EE financing through the implementation of all requirements needed for establishing the Revolving Fund within the Ministry.
Since the Project has achieved outstanding results during the implementation period, such as numerous insulated public buildings and establishing the Revolving Fund, the activities were continued through the Additional Financing project (AF BEEP). AF BEEP is the extension of the central Project (BEEP), which should eventually result in approximately 100 renovated buildings. Therefore, the AF BEEP project has been extended until 2024.
“I am glad that we continued implementing the AF BEEP project and reconstruction of public buildings in the Federation of BiH. Considering that we are renovating very old public buildings, we are more than satisfied with what the World Bank’s Project has achieved so far. Energy efficiency is one of the basic measures of protection against excessive air pollution, present throughout BiH, especially during winter. The implementation of EE measures has multiple advantages. First of all, we are improving working and living conditions for all users of renovated buildings. Besides that, we are achieving significant energy savings and ultimately reducing air pollution, which is important for the health of the whole society,” said Josip Marić, the Minister of Spatial Planning of the Federation of BiH.
EE measures will be implemented in thirty additional educational institutions, nine health centers, and one police academy in the next four years. Regarding geographical distribution, thirty of these buildings are in the Zenica-Doboj Canton, two are in the Tuzla Canton, four are in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, and four are in the Sarajevo Canton.
By implementing EE measures in public sector buildings, budget users will benefit from significant financial savings and reinvestments, domestic labor force employment, environmental protection, and improved working and living conditions. In addition to projects like this one, the support of each individual is also essential, for they can contribute to a healthier environment by applying EE in everyday life: at school, home, and work.