The closing conference of the "Subsidies for Energy Efficiency in Kosovo (SEEK)" project was held, this project implemented by the Kosovo Millennium Foundation and supported by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) from which more than 1 thousand households and 26 residential buildings for energy efficiency measures.

At the conclusion of the SEEK project, the findings of this project were also presented, which aim to help Kosovo's institutions shape future investments in electricity efficiency.

Through SEEK, it is aimed to reduce electricity consumption in the residential sector by piloting subsidies and other incentives for households to invest in energy efficiency measures.

The Deputy Minister of Economy, Getoar Mjeku, said that the government understands the importance of electricity efficiency, which is why, as he said, they have increased attention in this sector.

The doctor said that in addition to concrete projects that affect energy saving, this sector is also being consolidated with legislative reforms.

"The example that we have in front of us with the SEEK project, we try to continue as a Government through separate projects that we invest in energy efficiency. We have an investment project in public facilities precisely to enable energy efficiency, as well as the amount of aid in municipalities, in school facilities and public facilities, the first worth 2 million, the second 7.5 million. Finally, we are working intensively to launch a support scheme, subsidy project for households, for houses, flats in order to get through the winter as easily as possible. In order to ease the burden on the energy sector in Kosovo, we will allocate 6 million euros for efficient equipment, and of these 6 million euros, the citizens will benefit directly but also indirectly, seeing that they will reduce energy expenditure without having to we sacrifice our daily needs", said the Doctor.

The head of the Kosovo Millennium Foundation, Petrit Selimi, said that the SEEK project is MCC's biggest investment in Kosovo, through which 11 million euros are spent on piloting ways in which Kosovar families can save electricity.

He said that over 1 thousand families and over 20 residential spaces have benefited from this project.

"This is MCC's biggest investment in Kosovo to date. Somewhere over 11 million euros have been allocated for a pilot of ways that Kosovar families can save electricity, how Kosovar families can have more efficient homes and to test how the Government of Kosovo and the Kosovar institutions can achieve that big gap that exists between production and utilization to be covered not only with investments in generation, but also with investments in savings. Today we are in front of you with a result of over 1 houses all over Kosovo completely renovated with different technologies and different measures from wall insulation to heat pumps, solar subsidies and others. As well as over 20 multi-storey residential buildings in six cities of Kosovo", said Selimi.

The SEEK project, according to Sarah Olmstead, who is the director of the MCC in Kosovo, has helped citizens to increase their awareness of energy saving.

According to her, awareness has also been raised among construction companies to use efficient materials for energy.

"This has raised awareness about the different options for things that have an effect on energy efficiency. Windows, insulation, water heating are essential electronic plants that have higher efficiency. I hope this has helped people cover the basics. Also, the project has provided tools not only for homeowners not only in terms of high efficiency materials but also in terms of training the private sector so that companies can sell materials, inform people about those materials to raise awareness among citizens and consumers," said Olmstead.

The managing director of sectoral operations at MCC, Kevin Mitchell, said that thanks to this project, Kosovo is well positioned to expand energy efficiency programs. According to him, the global energy crisis is the most convincing indicator for investments in electricity efficiency.

"MCC wanted to help the government to identify the most effective program for Kosovo. Through the 'SEEK' project we have renovated around 1,000 houses through three different grants. With each grant, we've made improvements and with each iteration we've incorporated what we've learned about what was most effective. We are delighted to now be taking these insights to government and other partners working on energy efficiency, and we look forward to hearing about your plans and next steps in this exciting sector. We are not only teaching a number of lessons, although, during the implementation of the research program, MFK and its contractor, GFA, grew an impressive network of companies that have certified and trained companies to do energy efficiency. They developed an online platform to manage this program and they carried out an impressive energy efficiency awareness campaign. These assets and concrete tools mean that Kosovo is well positioned to expand Energy Efficiency programs in the future", said Mitchell.

Meanwhile, the director of the Energy department at GFA Consulting Group GmbH, Ulrich Theuerkauf, said that through the SEEK project, Kosovo has created a good basis for citizens to live more efficiently.

"The current that has caused turbulence in the international energy market as a result of the Russian aggression in Ukraine proved how important it is to introduce and implement energy efficiency measures, and everyone knows that construction in Kosovo is one of the main spenders of energy in the country. Despite all these challenges, we as a consortium together with our partners achieved and succeeded, I can say now with pride on behalf of our consortium that this project has created a basis to move forward, so that the Government of Kosovo feels the support of the efforts for the financing of energy efficiency for the citizens of the country, to live more efficiently. Moreover, together with the MFK, we created a strong impetus for women entrepreneurs in Kosovo", emphasized Theuerkauf.

The three main packages of this project that started three years ago were: Renovations for energy efficiency in residential units, renovations for efficiency in multi-residential buildings and women entrepreneurs in energy.

Violeta Rexha, specialist for gender and social inclusion, said that this project has had an impact on increasing the interest of businesses to include women in the field of energy.

According to her, this project has helped to have many qualified women.

"Initially, when we designed this program, we had doubts as to whether businesses would be willing to offer internships for the women and girls of Kosovo. This program, the first in Kosovo that connected energy and women, and when we launched the program, we asked interested companies to express their interest through a platform and we were pleasantly surprised by the great interest of institutions and businesses to have qualified women in their businesses", she emphasized.

The "Subsidies for Energy Efficiency in Kosovo (SEEK)" project started to be implemented in Kosovo in 2019 by the consortium of German companies GFA and HPC. /KP/

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