DiXi Group co-organize the discussion about the draft laws on energy efficiency
DiXi Group President Olena Pavlenko moderated the discussion that was dedicated legislative initiatives to energy efficiency. The discussion took place in Kyiv under the framework of the EU Energy Governance project, gathering members of parliament across the political spectrum, experts of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the DiXi Group think tank and the Energy Community Secretariat.
Participants discussed legislative initiatives in the area of energy efficiency, which are vital for the continuation of reforms in Ukraine, and shared views on their further implementation. The meeting took place on the eve of consideration of draft laws on Commercial Metering of Heat Energy and Water Supply (draft metering law) and on Energy Performance of Buildings (draft EPBD law) by the Verkhovna Rada.
The Secretariat’s Energy Efficiency Expert, Svitlana Karpyshyna, provided an update on the status of compliance of both draft laws with the provisions of the Energy Community Treaty and the provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU that are missing in the current version of the draft EPBD law, i.e. the mandatory energy consumption certification of individual apartments in existing buildings subject to sale or lease, and regular technical inspections of heating and cooling building systems.
Members of the Verkhovna Rada’s Energy Committee present at the meeting expressed their concern about the financial burden on consumers stemming from the EPBD law and the uncertainty of specific procedures and certification costs. EBRD experts underlined the importance of certificates in providing recommendations for energy efficiency improvements for the existing tenants.
Participants shared confidence in the draft metering law and the importance of having it passed in the Parliament. It was concluded that the compensation for the metering equipment transferred to consumers remains the only controversy preventing the bill from adoption.
High-Level Policy Talks are a dialogue platform supporting the process of adoption of relevant legislation, aimed at improving the institutional framework for the entire policy cycle in all six Eastern Partnership countries. The first High-Level Policy Talk, together with the joint working group established under the EU4Energy initiative, aims to improve the draft EPBD law with view to ensuring compliance with the Energy Community acquis ahead of the second reading in Parliament. The adoption of a compliant EPBD law until June 2017 remains a precondition for Ukraine to secure a EUR 80 million grant for its Energy Efficiency Fund.
The meeting was organized with the support of the Energy Community Secretariat (under EU4Energy Governance Project) and the DiXi Group think tank.
Eu4Energy Governance project is part of the EU4Energy Initiative that covers all EU support for evidence-based energy policy-making and energy efficiency in the region of the Eastern Partnership, which brings together the EU, its member states and six partner countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
