Month: January 2019

 

One of the topics that has recently been receiving more attention, both in the world and in our country, is energy efficiency. The reason for this is the high rate of irrational use of energy. That is why we are witnessing more and more domestic and international projects and campaigns, which claim that investment in this sector is highly profitable. Taking into account that these often use money from the public budget, it is important to see how much Bosnia and Herzegovina actually benefits from these investments.

 

“Investing in the energy efficiency sector brings a lot of benefits to our country. In addition to reducing CO₂ emissions and contributing to environmental protection, as well as increasing comfort for users of public facilities, there are also significant economic benefits. With an investment of around 18 million KM, we achieved savings of over 2 million KM per year. On the other hand, if we keep in mind that all the work done on the facilities are performed by local companies, we understand that these investments also bring the opportunity for the local community”, emphasized Jasmina Katica, Head of the Department for Energy Efficiency of the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning, which implements the Energy Efficiency Project for BiH (BEEP).

 

A local company from Mostar, which is the contractor for several facilities in the FBiH, within the BEEP project, emphasized working on such a project is, as they say, firstly a challenge for companies. For smaller objects, on average, it takes 18-20 workers, while for larger, this number can increase to 27-30. The teams consist of experts from various fields, such as electrical installations, thermal insulation, lightning protection installations, air conditioning, heating and cooling, installation of holes and installation of roofs, and many others. In addition to their business opportunities, they emphasize that such projects bring great experience to local companies and references to new challenges in the future.

 

“In addition to the obvious benefits of economic nature, such as the potential for growth of local companies and the creation of new jobs, it is important to note that there are other, often neglected, benefits. Beeing a part of a project this big is a huge thing. Working according to international standards and procedures brings responsibility. But if you have a reliable and valuable team, who wants to learn, everything is successfully completed,” said the workers of the same company.

 

In the end, we see that such projects, although the products of the public sector, have an impact on the market, as well. Therefore, we can only assume how much would private sector’s investments contribute. In any case, it is evident that these investments are not an unnecessary cost, but a highly profitable investment for both our country and the Planet.

 

The #10yearschallenge, a challenge in which users compare how they changed in the last ten years by posting photos from 10 years ago and today, has been taking over social media in the last few days. Tens of thousands of people couldn’t resist sharing their old pictures and seeing their progress, including many celebrities. However, focusing on individuals, their wrinkles and hair color, we forgot to look at the changes that happened to our surroundings.

 

We can all agree that our planet has experienced some big changes in the past 10 years. The view of the huge icebergs in the Arctic are now just memories, the names of all the hurricanes that have hit us in the past few years cannot be remembered, no matter how friendly they may sound, and the weeping of the Pacific Ocean cannot be heard due to the absurdly high amount of plastic in it. These are just some of the phenomenas associated with global warming, which has been more evident in recent years.

 

But, have you ever thought of everything that is waiting for us if we do not take immediate action?

 

Research has shown that in the future, if global warming were to continue at this rate, we will face even higher risks. They predict that we will encounter droughts, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, water shortages, increasing sea levels, climate health risks and many other consequences. Also, they point out that some species may become extinct and that a large number of insects, plants and vertebrates could lose more than half of their predisposed habitats.

 

At the same time, The World Bank research shows that climate change could be the cause of extreme poverty for more than 100 million people by 2030. The reason for this is the fact that residents of low coastal areas and poorer countries are not able to adapt to changes in extreme temperatures and water sources.

 

One of the key steps in reducing global warming is by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, says Jasmina Katica, Head of the Department for Energy Efficiency Federal Ministry of Physical Planning.

 

“About 22 billion tons of CO₂ are released in the atmosphere daily. That is why changes in energy production and use, the largest producer of greenhouse gases, are important. In addition to the fact that we, as individuals, need to use energy more rationally, we also need systematic solutions. A growing number of countries in the world have exactly this systematic approach. BiH also recognized the importance of this topic, and started implementing the Energy Efficiency Project for BiH (BEEP), in 2016.” added Katica.

 

Proof of the importance of such initiatives is the fact that BiH spends five times more energy than European Union countries. If we start immediately, we will surely feel the results well before the next #10yearchallenge.

 

Today, more and more people are paying extra attention to the topic of energy efficiency, both globally and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to evident improvements in the conditions of buildings and the reduction of CO₂ emissions, the implementation of energy efficiency measures also ensures economic savings and reduces energy consumption. For these reasons, a growing number of countries are implementing these measures, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

The Energy Efficiency Project for BiH (BEEP), which is implemented by the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning, is proof that investments in energy efficiency have multiple benefits. In addition to economic, environmental, and social benefits for public institutions and the environment, investments have a major impact on the country’s economy as well.

 

As part of the BEEP project, a total of 37 public buildings have been renovated in the past two years, into which over 18 million KM was invested. In addition to achieved budget savings, it is important to emphasize that works on all objects were performed by domestic companies, which created opportunities for the local population. These new business opportunities bring growth to existing local firms, as well as the potential for creating new jobs.

 

For the execution of works on a smaller building, on average, 18-20 workers are needed, while for larger objects this number can increase to 27-30. These teams consist of experts from various fields, such as electrical installation, thermal insulation, lightning installation, air conditioning, heating and cooling, installation of holes and roofs, and many others.

 

On the other hand, the local community has the opportunity to educate its workforce. For example, in the first seven months of last year, 57 employees of public institutions that were a part of the BEEP project, successfully completed their education for energy management. They will go on to work in energy efficient institutions throughout the Federation.

 

Therefore, we come to the conclusion that such projects are useful in many ways, and that investing in energy efficiency is extremely profitable, both globally and in BiH.

Savings, comfort and preservation of the environment are the first associations for energy efficiency in the world of adults. But do we ever wonder what the younger generations think on the mention of this topic, or do they ever come across with it at all?

 

In order to raise awareness of energy-efficient behavior, despite cold December days, the super hero Beepster arrived on our planet. By connecting learning and technology to one useful entity, he conveys his knowledge of the importance of this topic to the youngest. Following the famous saying “You have to strike while the iron is hot”, Beepster visited two schools in Sarajevo: the Fifth Elementary School in Ilidza and the Izet Sabic Elementary School in Vogosca.

 

As in the everyday life of new generations technology takes a special place, Beepster used innovative educational tools. Thus, the super hero introduced Beepomat – an interactive educational device to help demonstrate the schoolchildren how energy-efficient behavior can save the world.

 

“The workshop was very interesting. We learned a lot of things. For example, we learned how to save more energy and not pollute our city and our Planet. We also learned that we need to turn off devices we do not need because it will make our environment cleaner and better. I will listen to Beepster’s advices, because by doing so I will help the Earth to live longer.” said Dzelila, a 5^th grade student at Izet Sabic.

 

In addition to Beepomat, the super hero also used other interesting devices. The importance of shutting down electronic devices after use was demonstrated using a special camera, so the pupils could see how a device looks like while being used, and thus compare them with the ones turned off.

 

This approach has played a key role in raising the attention of students and creating a pleasant atmosphere that eventually resulted with interesting questions. Beepster’s visit is a result of the activities of the Energy Efficiency Project for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BEEP), implemented by the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning, and demonstrated the importance of educating the youngest about the future of our Planet.