Start date:  April 19, 2011          End date:  April 17, 2014
Project budget (Life of Project):  $1,500,000
Implementer:  Habitat for Humanity Macedonia

Objectives

Increase the standard of living in collective housing units in Macedonia through demonstration projects on energy efficiency improvements that significantly decrease energy consumption and operating cost.

Components

Develop and test market-based solutions for energy efficient reconstruction in collective housing units with a focus on financing mechanisms that will be suitable for low-income housing improvements. The project will select 30 collective housing units which will apply energy efficiency measures based on the findings of energy audits.

Improve the management of collective housing units in Macedonia through the training and capacity building of Homeowners Associations in selected buildings and sharing training materials and best practices with other Associations.

Facilitate investment, entrepreneurship and job creation in energy efficiency (EE).  The project will work with construction companies on the actual refurbishments and to promote energy efficiency, and with engineering companies to develop residential energy services. Both types of companies will provide internship opportunities to vocational high-school graduates and youth interested in pursuing careers in the field of energy efficiency.

Encourage the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders to affirm production and consumption of clean energy and advocate for efficient and targeted state involvement in the housing sector. To facilitate discussion and share knowledge and experience, the project will create an Advisory Group to share knowledge and resources in the sphere of residential EE. This will include representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, municipalities, utility companies, construction firms, energy companies, and business and professional associations.

Achievements/Impact

In the first year of operation, the project tested three models for low-interest financing of residential energy efficiency upgrades:

• Loans to specialized companies - Through this model, 15 families in Karposh Municipality were able to replace their windows and doors with new, more efficient ones.
• Individual loans - Twenty-five families in Kumanovo and Tetovo municipalities took out loans to undertake similar upgrades.
• Loans to Homeowners Associations - In Kumanovo, the Homeowners Association of one building took out a loan for applying an energy-efficient façade.

Because common space can only be financed through a joint investment by all homeowners in a building, USAID plans to promote and replicate the third model in all seven municipalities where the project is working, making this a more common practice for Homeowners Associations. The project also provided organizational and technical support to 12 Homeowners Associations that are upgrading the energy efficiency in their buildings, helping them to increase their capacity for self-management and become role models for other Homeowners Associations in their municipality.

The project placed 29 vocational high-school students from the three municipalities in internships where they learned about energy consumption and residential energy efficiency, and also gained practical experience in implementing energy efficiency upgrades.

Contact Information

Contact at USAID: Margareta Lipkovska Atanasov, AOR: mlipkovska@usaid.gov
Project Manager:  Zoran Kostov, e-mail: zkostov@habitat.org.mk
Information Officer: Galina Strachkova, gstrachkova@habitat.org.mk
Website: www.habitat.org.mk