Heat consumption in public buildings in Slovakia

Panel: 5. Energy use in buildings: projects, technologies and innovation

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Katarina Korytáróva, Institute for Forecasting of the Slovak Academy of Science, Slovakia
Ivan Knapko, Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency
, Slovakia
Kvetoslava Šoltésová, Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency
, Slovakia

Abstract

Public buildings can play an important role as promoters of energy efficiency. In Slovakia there are approximately 15,000 public buildings. Due to long-term neglected maintenance, operation of technical systems beyond their lifetime, as well as high debt and under-capitalisation in the sector, the public buildings are presumed to be highly energy intensive. Limited access to finances and budgetary restrictions in the public sector are among the main barriers that pose constraints to large-scale investment into energy efficiency in public buildings. Only small share of public buildings have been renovated through several incentive programmes. This implies that there is still an untapped energy savings potential in the sector. In order to specify the current state of the Slovak public buildings and the real need for their renovation data on the recent energy consumption is needed, especially data on heat and hot water use. Until recently such data existed only for the period 1994-2003. However, during the preparation of the Third National Energy Efficiency Action Plan additional data on energy consumption in public buildings were collected.

The paper presents preliminary results of the analysis of this data in terms of average heat consumption, as an indicator of building’s energy intensity, in selected categories of public buildings. The analysis is based on heat consumption in 2010-2012, whereas hot water use is included. The results of this data collection based on mainly self-reported energy consumption will be compared to the first results of energy audits conducted in public buildings within the project „Support for instruments for the introduction and optimization of measures in the area of energy efficiency in public buildings”. The project is financed by the Structural funds and operated by the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency. One of its main objectives is to conduct energy audits for 250 public buildings (especially administrative buildings, health and social care and educational buildings), based on which further analysis of the energy savings potential in public buildings will be performed.