The Minister of Energy, Victor Parlicov, undertook a working visit to the districts of Călărași and Nisporeni, where he met with the mayors, as well as several entrepreneurs. In Călărași, Victor Parlicov spoke about the selection of the first 59 individual houses from rural households with a degree of extreme energy vulnerability, which are to be made energy efficient, eight of which are from the Călărași district.

“About half of the energy consumed in the country is in the building sector, and a large part of it is lost due to their low energy efficiency. For this reason, the Residential Energy Efficiency Fund finances up to 70% of the cost of energy rehabilitation of buildings. Thus, the population's energy bills will be reduced, while maintaining thermal comfort, and in the next 10 years, the savings could amount to two billion lei," Parlicov noted.

Currently, the process of contracting energy audit services, financed by GIZ Moldova, is underway. The audits will determine the list of energy rehabilitation measures for houses, which can be financed from the Fund for Energy Efficiency in the Residential Sector (FEERM). These measures may include thermal insulation works of external walls, roof and basement, modernization of the heating system, installation of a solid biofuel-based thermal power plant, replacement of doors and windows, etc.

FEERM is a new financial instrument for the Republic of Moldova, which offers financing solutions for energy renovation projects of homes - both for multi-storey buildings and for individual households.

Parlicov also mentioned that a mechanism for financing energy efficiency works in public buildings, based on the model of energy service contracts, ESCO, is currently being developed.

At the meeting with the mayors and entrepreneurs of Nisporeni, Victor Parlicov spoke about the Winter Plan of the Ministry of Energy, which provides for concrete measures to provide electricity and natural gas to the population throughout the country.

“We have agreements with the Ministry of Energy of Romania for the purchase of electricity at preferential prices for consumers in the Republic of Moldova. However, the average monthly prices on the Bucharest Energy Exchange, OPCOM, in the last 4-5 months, are comparable to the price at which energy is purchased from MGRES,” Victor Parlicov noted.