Yerevan hosts energy efficiency brochure launch event

 December 10, 2013 - 17:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Energy Efficiency: Did You Know” brochure launch event was held in Yerevan on Tuesday, Dec 10, with the aim to raise public awareness of the concept.

The initiative belongs to the Central Bank of Armenia, International Finance Corporation (IFC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Green for Growth Fund (GGF), which is dedicated to enhancing energy efficiency and fostering the use of renewable energy sources in Southeast Europe and in the European Neighborhood region.

Established in December 2009, the GGF provides funds for financial institutions for on-lending to households and enterprises, and directly invests in renewable energy projects, complemented by capacity building support to local partners. GGF is a unique public-private partnership to promote energy efficiency in its target region and to reduce CO2 emissions.

“The focus of the project is presenting the energy efficiency and informing that it is actually a cost saving measure. It turns out that adding insulation to buildings is the most effective way to reduce carbon release to the atmosphere. Besides, it’s saving money. So, the key purpose of today’s event is just to get the message out: the opportunity on the one hand is to save money, to save energy and to reduce carbon emissions. And on the other hand, there are many different kinds of programs to help people invest in technologies,” the head of EBRD Yerevan Resident Office, Mr. Mark Davis told reporters ahead of the event.

Armenia Sustainable Energy Finance Project Manager at the IFC, Mr. Tigran Parvanyan sees a number of problems for implementation of energy efficiency projects. The main issue, according to him, is that the population doesn’t comprehend the benefits of energy efficiency due to poor awareness.

To save power and cut energy bills, specialists offer to apply the following measures: replace windows and doors with more energy efficient ones; use efficient lighting fixtures; apply proper thermal insulation to exterior walls; improve heating system efficiency and reduce CO2 gas emission.