Successful Thermal Modernization Experience of Lutsk HOAs
The USAID Municipal Energy Reform Project organized a press tour on March 3 called “Homeowners associations (HOAs) Thermal Modernization Success Stories. Lutsk” for 23 journalists from national and regional media. This was the second city to tell its story about Ukrainians who led the way when it comes to establishing HOAs, implementing energy efficiency measures and using the state program of “warm loans”. All this allows them not only to create proper living conditions in their dwellings, but also to significantly reduce the expenses from the family budget for communal services.
For example, the residents of the Vidrodzhennia HOA replaced all the utilities networks in their building and installed an individual heat substation, LED lighting, energy efficient windows and doors in the entrance premises. The HOA has planned to insulate the roof for this year. All these measures enabled the building residents to spend just UAH 12.53 per m² for heating in January this year, compared to other buildings in Lutsk which paid UAH 42.66 per m².
Another example is the Avanhard-Lutsk HOA which decided to conduct a capital renovation of the drainage system and roofing, install an individual heat substation, replace the windows and doors, and fully thermal insulate the building. For this purpose, the HOA received a UAH 2.7 million “warm loan”. The state has compensated UAH 791,000 of this amount, the city undertook to pay he interest on the loan, and the residents currently pay only UAH 5 per m² per month.
“We want to show with the example of these HOAs that all the residents of multi-apartment buildings are capable of modernizing their own buildings. They just need to join their efforts with their neighbors, receive support from the state and the city, and implement the energy efficiency measures. Everyone will benefit from this – the building residents who reduce their own energy expenses and the amounts of their communal bills; the city which minimizes the burden on its budget; as well as the state which strengthens its energy independence”, said Vira Illiash, Director of Communications and Government Relations of the USAID Municipal Energy Reform Project.
