România Eficientă, the largest national private project dedicated to energy efficiency in buildings, carried out by Energy Policy Group (EPG) with the funding from the official sponsor OMV Petrom, completed the renovation works at nZEB (nearly zero energy building) standards carried out at „Elie Radu” Energy Technology High School from Ploiești. The investment represents a premiere at a national level, being the first private investment of this kind and the largest renovation project at nZEB standard of a public school in Romania, with innovative technological solutions.

Thanks to this investment, the school building will have an annual average energy consumption reduced by about 60%. In addition, due to its photovoltaic and solar and thermal panels, the building could ensure its energy consumption almost entirely out of its own sources, during the warm seasons.

The investment for the energy rehabilitation of building C10 from „Elie Radu” Energy Technology High School from Ploiești was approximately EUR 1 million and was supported by OMV Petrom, the official sponsor of România Eficientă project. During the works in Ploiești, the company Signify joined as a sponsor and offered the ultramodern lighting system, while the Electrica Group contributed with the system of photovoltaic panels.

Cooperation is what matters

Project implementation has been affected by pandemics, various interdictions and inflation. Bureaucracy was also a stumbling block, although the initiative was also supported by the school management and local authorities. ““It is about learning together,” stressed Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom. „We have a huge opportunity for energy efficiency and the project for the rehabilitation of ‘Elie Radu’ high school stands for it. We can all contribute to a cleaner environment by adopting a more responsible behavior towards energy consumption”. At a turn, Radu Dudău, Director of Energy Policy Group and coordinator of România Eficientă Project, talked about the renovation at ‘Elie Radu’ as a potentially replicable example. “We are delighted of this first success by which we managed to turn this school building from Ploiești into one with very high energy performance, at nZEB standard, an extremely ambitious level which is generally less achieved in Europe. Beyond the substantial reductions of energy consumption which will be achieved, the pupils will have from now on a much healthier indoor environment suitable for school performance, as the classrooms are also equipped with air disinfection equipment”.

The building C10 from” Elie Radu” Energy Technology High School from Ploiești has classrooms on the ground floor, and a dormitory area at the higher floors, with a total deployed surface on three levels of about 1,500 square meters. In this school building, about 250 pupils learn and about 60 teaching staff members carry out their activities. About 80 pupils are accommodated in the dormitory.

The renovation works started last summer and, in order to be brought to the nZEB standard, the building was equipped with best-performing equipment and high-quality materials. HERE are the details of the main energy rehabilitation works carried out outside and inside the building through România Eficientă programme.