The “Zig-Zag” kindergarten in Ovidiu (Constanța county) has started a major modernization process through the România Eficientă program, run by Energy Policy Group and supported by OMV Petrom, the official sponsor. Built in the 1950s, the kindergarten will benefit from works to increase its energy performance, to be brought to nZEB standards (nearly-zero energy consumption building), as well as works to consolidate and extend the capacity. The total investment amounts to around EUR 1.5 mn.
The “Zig-Zag” Kindergarten is currently in an advanced state of wear and tear and requires consolidation works. After renovation, the building will be upgraded from energy efficiency class E (lower limit being class G) to the highest energy class (A). The total annual energy consumption will be reduced by more than 60% and the carbon emissions, by about six times. The kindergarten will be equipped with renewable energy systems, i.e. photovoltaic panels and heat pumps. The project also includes the extension of the kindergarten building.
“I am glad to see that the România Eficientă program is becoming a model in the field of energy efficiency. We are proving in this way that we can reduce energy consumption and at the same time improve thermal comfort in modernized buildings. Also, we are contributing to the education for the responsible consumption of natural resources, as the pupils and pre-school children, who will learn in the new modernized classrooms, can become ambassadors of change,” said Christina Verchere, CEO OMV Petrom.
“After the completion of the two major and innovative nZEB renovation projects in Prahova County, we are pleased to have opened a new construction site, this time in Constanta County. Unlike the previous investments, at the kindergarten in Ovidiu we will also carry out works to consolidate the building, which is about 70 years old, and to extend it. It will again be a challenging project, but this makes us even more want to demonstrate how old buildings can be transformed into modern and highly energy-efficient spaces. In addition, we will create much better conditions to play, study and rest for around 100 pre-school children, which makes us especially happy,” added Radu Dudău, President of EPG and coordinator of the România Eficientă program.
The “Zig-Zag” kindergarten is facing the following problems: deficiencies of the building structure, lack of thermal insulation, worn-out exterior woodwork, old and inefficient heating system, outdated water and sewage plumbing, lack of ventilation or air conditioning systems, electrical wiring not adapted to current needs, etc.
This is the third educational unit at the national level entered into the process of energy efficiency at nZEB standard through the România Eficientă program. The first nZEB renovated school was “Elie Radu” Energetic Technological High School in Ploiești, where works worth EUR 1 mn were completed in April 2022. The second unit was the Liliești Secondary School – Băicoi (Prahova County), energetically rehabilitated and modernized through an investment of around EUR 1.6 mn and inaugurated in March 2023.