Kyiv, 30 November 2018 - The European Union, jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have launched a two-year project called “Home Owners of Ukraine for Sustainable Energy Efficiency Solutions (HOUSES)” to stimulate and support the formation of Home Owners Associations (HOAs) throughout the country’s 24 regions. At least 2,000 new HOAs will be created, and a total of 4,000 HOAs will be taught how to manage their associations, develop energy efficiency projects and apply to the Ukrainian Energy Efficiency Fund. The project will directly benefit an estimated 480,000 people across the country, as well as help to raise energy efficiency awareness of no less than a million people overall.

The funding of EUR 4 million is provided by the EU within the EE4U Programme. The UNDP will provide the technical assistance through the project, which lasts from 1 October 2018 until 30 September 2020.

“The housing sector in Ukraine is energy inefficient due to its outdated equipment and housing stock, which pose serious challenges for many households still living in obsolete, unsafe or unsuitable buildings, said Janthomas Hiemstra, UNDP Ukraine Country Director. “To contribute to the sustainable development of cities and communities, as well as to meet people’s needs for quality housing, UNDP is starting the implementation of a new project to mobilize home-owners communities in Ukraine and help them improve the energy efficiency of their housing blocks, thereby reducing energy consumption and costs,” Hiemstra added.

“The EU supports the setup of the Ukrainian Energy Efficiency Fund. We strongly believe that its programmes will convince and support Ukrainians in taking greater energy responsibility for their dwellings and help them to reduce their energy bills. They will have to be mobilised and supported in this endeavour. Therefore, an extended awareness-raising campaign aimed at supporting HOAs will be deployed in all the regions,” said Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.

Over its two-year run, the project will organise a public information campaign at the national, regional and local levels to inform the general public and local communities about the new legislation on energy efficiency, the programmes of the Energy Efficiency Fund, and its financing mechanisms. The project will also carry out a series of group and individual consultations with active home owners who want to set up HOAs, pre-existing HOAs, and local authorities on establishing HOAs, on book-keeping and financial management, and on how to seek and obtain financing for their home improvement projects.

To apply to participate in the project, please visit www.houses.in.ua/registration

Background information:

The European Commission has adopted the Energy Efficiency Support Programme for Ukraine (EE4U) aimed at contributing to increasing energy efficiency in the Ukrainian residential sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, the EU, together with Germany, will support the activities of the Energy Efficiency Fund in providing grants for thermo-modernisation of multi-apartment buildings across Ukraine. Through the two phases of this Programme, the EU will contribute in total EUR 80 million of grants for HOAs as well as more than a EUR 22 million package of technical assistance (managed mainly by the International Finance Corporation – IFC – and UNDP).

The residential sector in Ukraine is three to four times less energy efficient than in the neighbouring EU countries with a similar climate and consumes around 40% of the country’s energy. A total of 70% of flats in multi-apartment buildings housing approximately 34 million people are highly energy inefficient.

More information: Tetyana Diyeva, communication focal point, tel: (050) 446 50 04, tetyana.diyeva@undp.org

Photo: Oleksandr Ratushnyak / UNDP Ukraine