Outcome 1: Enabling environment and strengthened enforcement capacities for improved energy efficiency at the provincial and local levels

By creating effective enabling environment and institutional capacities at the local and regional levels, the project will help create incentives for energy efficient investments and the reduction of end-use energy consumption.

Specific barriers: Russia’s approaches to building codes and standards and energy efficiency norms are largely similar to European equivalents. Key requirements to building energy efficiency included in the EU directives have been already reflected in the 2003 Russian federal construction codes (with an exception for heating boilers). However, enforcement of these codes at the design, construction and maintenance phases is undermined by the barriers described above.  A gap also exists in introducing and communicating the advanced norms to various regions and municipalities and in enforcing them.  Enforcement is also perceived as an area where there is little information on quality control even for previous codes. Provincial (oblast) codes and standards have been developed in a number of oblasts, but this process is not harmonized across the Federation. The oblasts in the North West federal region of the Russian Federation require assistance in developing both provincial and local regulations to implement codes that meet the federal standard.  They also require assistance in structuring an enforcement system that will ensure compliance.

Specific outputs in this component will include the following:

1.1 Provincial legal and regulatory framework for enforcement and monitoring of energy efficiency construction norms in the Vologda Oblast.

1.1.a. Analysis of current model of monitoring and enforcement of the energy performance of buildings in the oblast and analysis of enforcement models in other CIS countries.

1.1.b.  Development of a new model system for monitoring and enforcing energy performance in buildings in the oblast that includes strong penalties for non-compliance. The enforcement program should include providing incentives for inspectors to give them a vested interested in identifying buildings that are in non-compliance through regular monitoring and spot-checks. One model to be considered includes the contracting of private sector monitoring and enforcement companies who have incentives for identifying buildings in non-compliance. This would make the cost of enforcement self-financing after an initial period.

1.1.c  Development of a regional and local regulatory framework that will institutionalize the model system for monitoring and enforcing energy standards in building codes in the oblast.

1.1.d. Establishment of an on-site inspection program.

1.1.e.  Dissemination of the regulatory system and enforcement program to other Russian regions through workshops, seminars, and training events for the other two pilot oblasts and for subjects of the North West Federal District and through development of a Best Practice guide that will be distributed to regional energy efficiency centers in other federal districts and to the new federal agency responsible for energy efficiency.

1.2  Regulatory framework and improved institutional capacities for effective implementation of Energy Efficiency Programme of the Pskov Oblast.

1.2.a. Development and implementation of a legal and regulatory framework to establish and implement an energy efficiency programme in the Pskov Oblast and develop summaries of legislation/regulations for easier dissemination of information.

1.2.b.  Analyze and clarify the institutional requirements at each level – federal, oblast, and municipal – for implementing the energy efficiency programme, including the roles of enforcement agencies and enforcement inspectors at all three levels.

1.2.c.  Development and implementation of a oblast-level system of results-based monitoring of the enforcement program and its effect on actual energy performance in buildings.

1.2.d.  Dissemination of good practice and lessons learned through the creation of a standing committee on energy efficiency for the North West Federal Region which will adopt best practice guidelines for the region,[1] through professional conferences related to energy efficiency, publication of articles, attendance at scientific meetings elsewhere in Russia and abroad, and through a website for the Energy Efficiency Programme.

1.3 Institutional and management model for energy efficient municipalities in Pskov Oblast.

1.3.a. Analysis of the current model of utilities provision in the Ostrovskii and Nevelskii Municipal Districts and preparation of technical specifications for a tender to introduce a GIS-based computer model of energy provision that can model existing flows of energy and financial resources and identify opportunities for savings.

1.3.b. Collection of all necessary baseline data, including energy audits of selected buildings as necessary, and adapt the software for use in the two municipal districts. The system that is selected should include a calculation of all resource losses in production, transmission and distribution, and end use of resources.

1.3.c. Implementation of a continuous data collection system that will provide sufficient information for monitoring results, and  develop and enact the necessary regional and local regulations to put the data collection and maintenance system into place and ensure that it will have sufficient funding to remain in operation during and following the project implementation period.  The management system should also document energy and economic savings due to the use of the model and the recommendations that it generates. This project component will also support local staff dedicated to data collection, entry, and analysis with the understanding that these functions will be assumed by the municipality at the conclusion of the project.

1.4 Municipal energy efficiency norms

1.4.a.  Development of municipal energy efficiency norms

1.4.b.  Development and implementation of a mechanism for adopting municipal energy efficiency norms.

1.4.c.  Dissemination of the norms and of the models for energy efficient municipalities and mechanism across Pskov Oblast and to the other 3 participating oblasts, with results shared across the North West Federal Region.