In line with the REELIH project, Habitat for Humanity worked with its long time partner Metropolitan Research Insitute (MRI) to conduct a study on Central and Eastern European countries having an experience with large scale renovations of multi-apartment buildings. The aim of the study was to analyse the main national subsidy schemes aiming to assist the energy efficient renovation of multi-family buildings in Central and Eastern Europe. The practice of four countries (Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) were analysed in detail, and desk research was completed in connection with Lithuania and Croatia.
The main objective of the inquiry was to understand in-depth the policy solutions applied in the CEE regions to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock, and based on these to identify the lessons that can bring in new impetus for Armenia and for Bosnia & Herzegovina in promoting energy efficient interventions.
Studying the energy efficiency policies in the CEE countries allows one to understand what constitutes success with regard to energy efficiency in the ex-socialist countries, and how the results and expectations are modified based on the economic development level of a country or the particular features of its housing market. Given that both Armenia and Bosnia were part of the Socialist block, and their housing markets developed substantially during Socialist times, understanding the examples of the CEE region could provide both countries with insights and knowledge.
Thus, the countries selected to study were chosen bearing in mind the exact lessons they could provide for Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was also considered that an extensive overview of the possibly applicable methods of EE subsidies should be collected, to highlight the different elements of the working energy efficiency policies in various former Soviet Block countries.
The selection was based on the assumption that the different energy efficiency subsidy schemes are often composed of similar measures, but the importance of these measures varies. In the end, six countries were selected, keeping in mind that a variety of experiences are needed to showcase how countries of a common Socialist heritage but of different wealth and a different housing stock structure have proceeded with the energy efficient refurbishment of their respective housing stock. Furthermore, the combination of these six experiences was chosen so that the most can be learnt about the complex effects and the adaptability of such measures.
The full study is available here.
