German-Belarusian Expert Council for Energy-Efficient Construction

The challenge:

The Belarusian government is pursuing ambitious energy policy goals. In this regard, increasing energy efficiency plays a key role. At 35 percent of overall energy consumption, heating energy for buildings and hot water is the single largest item on the list, and holds great savings potential.

The government's goal is to reduce heat energy requirements by 30 percent by 2020. Hence, the rapid implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings is urgently required — but the absence of a binding framework and tried-and-tested implementation mechanisms is a big hurdle.

What we are doing:

The German-Belarusian Expert Council pursues the goal of compiling concrete suggestions for revising the framework conditions for energy-efficient construction and refurbishment in Belarus. The expert group consists of Belarusian representatives from the standardisation and construction authorities and dena, which represents Germany.

The focus of the cooperation, which has existed since 2014, is developing a technical code for making buildings energy-efficient. This is to be based on the requirements set out in the European Buildings Directive (EPBD) and includes, among other things, energy-efficiency requirements, a standardised energy balancing methodology, and binding efficiency classes.

the benefits:

dena's consulting work ensures that German experience in the implementation of the European Buildings Directive can also be incorporated, and helps to lay the foundation for a functioning efficiency market in Belarus. Over the medium term, the results of the project are expected to lead to the introduction of an energy performance certificate in Belarus, and hence serve as a model for other countries in the region.