The Sîngerei district hospital was selected as a beneficiary institution following a public competition launched in the summer of 2021 by UNDP Moldova in partnership with the Green City Lab Moldova. 18 public institutions from seven districts of the Republic of Moldova participated in the competition. Following the evaluation, two locations were selected for the installation of photovoltaic panels: Sîngerei district hospital and the placement center from Sculeni, Ungheni district.
The photovoltaic installations increase the energy resilience of these two institutions by reducing the consumption of electricity from the centralized grid and reduce the bills.
“The opportunity of such energy efficiency projects became possible as the net metering mechanism was foreseen by the national legislation. This mechanism is a successful one because it requires less investments. There is no need for expensive batteries, this role being played by the central electrical network. We will further develop this mechanism r so that any public institution can benefit,” said Victor Parlicov, Minister of Energy.
According to preliminary calculations, the installation on the roof of the Sîngerei district hospital will generate over 100 thousand kWh annually, which represents about 30 percent of the institution’s current annual need for electricity.
“The photovoltaic installation of Sîngerei hospital will cover about 30% of its annual energy needs. This is an excellent example of partnership between local authorities, civil society, and development partners that has the potential to be scaled up by other public institutions to save costs that may be redirected to other needs of the beneficiaries,” mentioned Andrea Cuzyova, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. to the Republic of Moldova.
The total cost of the photovoltaic system installed at the Sîngerei district hospital and of the electrical network modernization was about US$98,600. The financial resources were offered by UNDP Moldova and GEF and will be reimbursed by the Sîngerei District Council during the next 7 years from the savings on the energy bills. These funds will be further reinvested by the Green City Lab Moldova in other energy efficiency projects.
“Any investment in the hospital increases the quality of medical services offered to patients. Thanks to the investments made over the years, our hospital is one of the best in the country,” said Vasile Malcoci, interim director of the Sîngerei district hospital.
The Sîngerei district hospital building was put into operation in 1967 and has a capacity of 180 patients.
]]>The new heating distribution system gives apartments’ owners the opportunity to decide on their own when to turn on or off turn the heating, to adjust the temperature level, depending on their personal needs and comfort. Each apartment has its own meter that monitors consumption, based on which the bill will be issued.
“The Bălți experience and the one that we have in Chișinău, where overall six multi-apartment residential buildings were connected to horizontal central distribution of heat with support of UNDP and GEF, can serve as an example of good practices in the energy area, that can bring the change and improve country’s energy security,” said Andrea Cuzyova, Deputy Resident Representative to UNDP in the Republic of Moldova.
The absence of a centralized hot water distribution system made some householders from Bălți municipality install electric boilers, so as to have access to domestic hot water. This option is much more expensive and not energy efficient. In addition, it generates higher CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
“Modernization of the multi-apartment residential buildings from Bălți with support of UNDP and GEF contributes to a safer and more ecological environment. At the same time, it offers consumers quality, safety, and the needed heating comfort,” mentioned Marian Brînza, acting General Director of CET-NORD.
As the heating system was switched to the horizontal one, some of the residents who were using autonomous heating systems came back to the centralized one. Others say they plan to connect next year.
“Last year, the residential building across the street modernized its heating system and their lower bills during wintertime triggered discussions among inhabitants of our building. The owners insisted that we switch to horizontal heating because it offers more comfort with less heating consumption. The benefits that our neighbor building received convinced us as well,” said Tatiana Plesca, president of the Homeowners Association of one of the buildings that switched to the new heating system.
Individual thermal points were installed in each of the three blocks in the municipality of Bălți. The common thermic energy distribution infrastructure is located to a space of common use, while on each floor the apartments are individually connected to the distribution network. Owners who have switched to the new heating system had either to cover on their own the expenses for the infrastructure modernization works in their own apartment or to access financial support through energy performance contracts. This type of contract gives consumers the opportunity to repay the investment from the savings on the heating and hot water bills over the next five years.
For this pilot project in Bălți, UNDP Moldova and GEF have allocated approximately US$98,000.
The vertical thermic energy distribution system, widely used in Chișinău and Bălți, interconnects apartments and the owners do not have the possibility to adjust the consumption of energy. Therefore, bills are issued based on the common consumption recorded at branch levels and payments are made via the housing management entity, that divides the total amount between individual consumers, according to several criteria, including apartments’ area.
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