And they understand that saving energy can not only make them energy independent, but also put them on the path to reaching this ambition.
Riga has thus made energy saving a driving force of their climate and energy action. They quickly realised that by reducing energy consumption, they were also reducing costs; opening a window to reinvest what they saved into building a more sustainable and climate-neutral future. By ensuring energy savings are directly feeding their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan SECAP , Riga is setting an example of how to turn Sprint measures into a structural solution to tackle climate change beyond the energy crisis.
One of the main areas of action for saving energy in the city last winter was public lighting. In addition to implementing energy efficiency measures, the city also focused on saving energy by limiting temperatures and reducing heating hours in public buildings, as well as regulating temperatures in residential buildings connected to the city-owned district heating network. The city estimated that the energy saved by implementing these measures translated to cost reductions of approximately 4 million euros for the previous year.
Seeing these cost reductions as an opportunity, Riga Energy Agency decided to allocate a budget of 4 million euros to support the implementation of SECAP measures. Managed by Riga Energy Agency and available to any municipal infrastructure or department, this internal fund enables the city to roll out some of the priorities listed in its SECAP developed in These priorities include installing solar panels, replacing gas boilers and inefficient lighting systems, and implementing greening measures, such as tree planting, to absorb emissions.
This budget has the potential to fund actions in around 60 municipal buildings β mainly schools and kindergartens β which can now apply for funding to switch to more efficient lighting systems.
