As winter approaches, the Sheptytska urban territorial community has focused its efforts on solving critical problems of heat supply in educational institutions in Sosnivka. Due to massive disconnections from central heating and the planned closure of the Nadiya mine, which provided heating to part of the town, the community faced the threat of a heat cut-off to schools and other social institutions. Due to the deterioration of the heating networks (which reached 95%) and high heat losses of up to 60%, there was an urgent need to solve the problem of heat supply.
The Sheptytska community’s participation in the project “Strengthening the Capacity of Communities for Recovery through Piloting Their Interaction with Universities” made it possible to work out in detail an innovative project aimed at building three block-modular solid fuel boiler houses for schools in Sosnivka. The main goal of this project is to ensure uninterrupted heat supply for three schools with 1,046 students and 157 employees. The new boiler houses will create comfortable learning and working conditions and reduce CO2 emissions, which will help improve the environmental situation in the region.
The project envisages the construction of three boiler houses for School No. 7, School No. 14 and Sosnivsky Lyceum. The modular boiler houses will be able to run on solid fuel, which will increase energy efficiency and reduce heating costs. Thanks to this solution, the community will be able to reduce its utility costs by 20%, which is critical in the current economic crisis.
The project also has an important environmental aspect, as solid fuel boilers can reduce CO2 emissions by 50-60%. Reducing harmful emissions is an important part of the community’s strategy to improve the environmental situation in the region, which was previously dominated by coal mines that created a significant environmental burden.
Thanks to the support of the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities and participation in the project’s training modules, representatives of the Sheptytska community gained the knowledge and tools to develop and successfully implement this project. They were trained in project management, fundraising, and energy efficiency, which allowed them to better prepare for attracting additional resources and using the funds effectively. As part of the project, the community works closely with the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Thanks to this project, the Sheptytska community will be able not only to ensure the safety and comfort of its students, but also to make an important contribution to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.