UNDP/GEF Project “Energy Efficiency in the North West of Russia” is submitted under the framework of the Umbrella “Russia Energy Efficiency Programme” – a partnership of UNDP, EBRD, and UNIDO involving key Russian federal sectoral agencies and regional authorities. Three regions in the North West Federal District are participating in the Project. Federal State Budget  Institution "Russian Energy Agency" (REA) by Russian Ministry of Energy acts as Executing Entity/Implementing Partner of the Project.

With the adoption of the Federal statute № 261 “About Energy Savings and Increasing Energy Efficiency…” organizational legal conditions were formed for improving building energy efficiency, including energy efficiency standards in housing sector.

The project strategy is to reduce existing institutional, management, information, technological, investment, and knowledge barriers that hamper wide penetration of energy efficient technologies and practices in the construction and building maintenance sectors. The project objective is to build local capacities for and demonstrate local solutions to improved energy efficiency in new and existing buildings in the North West of Russia: Pskov, Vologda and Arkhangelsk Regions.

The project emphasis on regulatory development and capacity building is seen as highly cost-effective.  In particular, strengthening building codes and enforcement from one end and giving architects and engineers the know-how to comply with stricter codes on the other will result in more efficient buildings that “lock in” a lower energy consumption over their lifetimes.

The project expects to save 11,755 MWh/yr and reduce 2,380 tCO₂ a year directly, or nearly 235,013 MWh/yr and 47,535 tCO₂ over a twenty-year period.