Association: Czech investment in energy savings rose tenfold last year to CZK 1.96bn

Investment in energy-saving projects in Czechia rose almost tenfold year on year last year to 1.96 billion koruna. The investment went into 16 projects carried out by energy companies at public institutions and industrial companies. The Association of Energy Service Providers (APES) informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) of this today. The figures are the highest on record. The association said the growth was driven mainly by high energy prices, generous subsidies for project preparation and pressure to decarbonise. The largest number of projects were in healthcare.

So-called energy performance contracting (EPC) involves modernising equipment to reduce energy consumption, typically by replacing lighting with more energy-efficient alternatives. Contracts guarantee clients that their supplier will deliver the savings; otherwise, the supplier must cover the shortfall.

„This is mainly because, thanks to subsidy conditions and high energy prices, EPC projects are now very comprehensive and involve the largest organisations. Investment costs for a single project now tend to run into hundreds of millions of koruna rather than tens of millions, as was the case in the past. And as the ranks of qualified suppliers, or ESCO companies, expand, the number of completed projects is also growing,“ said Miroslav Marada, chairman of the Association of Energy Service Providers.

Seven projects last year, accounting for three-quarters of the investment, were in healthcare. The largest project involved the grounds of the psychiatric hospital in Prague’s Bohnice district. „Replacing 9.5 kilometres of heating pipes, more than 3,000 windows and doors, and implementing other energy-saving measures across 50 buildings—all while the hospital remained fully operational—took just 18 months,“ said the hospital’s project manager, Věra Fibigerová. „Energy consumption is expected to fall by at least 30 percent from its original level, equivalent to 14.7 million koruna a year at 2021 reference prices. Given the rise in energy and water prices, the amount is likely to be higher—an estimated 24 million koruna a year,“ she added.

Energy companies also carried out projects at psychiatric hospitals in Dobřany and Kosmonosy, as well as at hospitals in Kutná Hora, Mladá Boleslav, Hustopeče and Prague’s Krč district. According to the association, the healthcare projects will save around 64 million koruna a year in energy costs. Since last year, energy-saving projects have also been used in municipal buildings in Břeclav, at Pankrác Prison and in two buildings belonging to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ).

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