Warm rooms for more than 3,000 children and budget savings can be achieved with energy efficient educational institutions. In order for schools, kindergartens and health centers in the Una-Sana Canton to achieve savings of up to 40%, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will use the "Green Economic Development" (GED) project in cooperation with the Government and the municipalities of Una-Sana Canton to reconstruct these public buildings to be more energy efficient.

The agreements on the division of costs for the implementation of energy efficiency in public buildings of the Una-Sana Canton as part of the GED project were signed by Tahir Nuhić, the Minister of Construction, Urban Planning and Environmental Protection of the Una-Sana Canton, the municipal mayors of Bosanska Krupa, Sanski Most, Ključ, Cazin and Bužim and UNDP.

Siniša Rodić, UNDP Project Manager, explained: "The project plan is to complete thermal insulation for 6 public institutions this year, which would achieve the result of reducing the energy demands of heating and cooling systems, and directly contribute to savings of about BAM 200,000 a year, ensuring return on investment in 5 years. This will also reduce CO2 emissions by 200 tons per year, which will achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gases".

Tahir Nuhić, the Minister of Construction, Urban Planning and Environmental Protection of the Una-Sana Canton said: "This agreement which was signed today fits into the energy efficiency plans that we have outlined for 2015-2017. With this agreement we will have significant energy savings that we will invest into the budget".

Energy efficient buildings will enable warmer winters for more than 3000 children and students in primary school "Druga osnovna škola" in Bosanska Krupa, primary school "5. oktobar" in Sanski Most, public high school "Mješovita srednja škola " in Ključ, public kindergarten "Hasnija Omanović" in Cazin and primary school "Bužim" in Bužim, and the patients and staff of the public health center “Dom zdravlja Velika Kladuša”.

Investment in introduction of energy efficiency for these six buildings is worth a total of BAM 1,000,000.00, and municipalities will participate with BAM 250,000.00, the Government of USC with BAM 250,000.00 and UNDP with BAM 500,000.00.

The total value of the GED project, including the Swedish financial support, amounts to 10.7 million euros. The project is co-financed by the UNDP, the Fund for Environmental Protection of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of Republika Srpska, and cantons and municipalities in BiH.

Truong Duy