Preparing for winter: heads of condominiums were told about co-financing programmes that can be used
The Lviv City Council held a meeting with the heads of condominiums. During the meeting, the heads of condominiums were told how the city is preparing for the winter, what has already been done to ensure that hospitals, schools and kindergartens have backup power in the event of a gas and electricity blackout, and that heat and cold water can be supplied to Lviv residents’ homes.
We also presented programmes that condominiums can use to prepare for the winter and implement measures to ensure energy independence of their buildings. This will help them to ensure that cold water is supplied to all floors, the lift is working, there is lighting in common areas, etc.
According to Dmytro Vankovych, Director of Lvivvodokanal, when the war started, the company faced a real challenge in providing backup power to all water intake pumping stations, as Lviv is supplied from wells located tens of kilometres away. A titanic amount of work was done to make it happen, and all water supply facilities had backup power.
“Even in the absence of electricity, we will supply water to the first floors of buildings. And to which floor – it all depends on the terrain on which the building is located and the number of storeys in the building. Therefore, we are asking those buildings where the technical documentation of the building project indicates that there should be a water pumping system, but there is none, to arrange it so that residents of all floors can have water,” says Dmytro Vankovych.
Oleksandr Odynets, director of Lvivteploenergo, also spoke about the measures taken by the heating company to supply heat to the buildings in case of an emergency. He noted that in some areas (streets), the heat carrier coming out of the CHP plant may have to be fed three times from an additional generation source to reach the house. Therefore, it is very important that the house where the IHS is located also has an additional source of electricity – a generator.
“We are preparing for winter emergencies. Therefore, we have developed scenarios for our actions in the event that the city may be left without electricity or gas, or both. We cannot disclose all the information to the public because it is our safety. However, we can assure you that in the event of a long-term blackout, we have solutions to provide heat and water to homes.
In particular, at the last session, we adopted a number of resolutions that should help with this.
At the same time, we adopted amendments to several programmes that can be used by residents to ensure that water is supplied to all floors, that the lift works, and that there is lighting. We encourage you to use them,” said Andriy Moskalenko, First Deputy Mayor of Lviv.
The present condominium managers were then told about the co-financing programmes that they could use.
For example, in Lviv, there is a programme of partial compensation for the cost of purchasing power generators and equipment for solar power plants to meet the needs of co-owners of apartment buildings in the Lviv city territorial community during the preparation of facilities for the heating season. The programme has recently been amended to allow residents to receive compensation for
- an electric generator – 50% of the cost, but not more than UAH 200 thousand. For houses with 2 floors and more, the power is not less than 2.5 kW;
- battery (LiFePO 4) – 50% of the cost, but not more than UAH 10 thousand per 1 kW;
- solar panel – 50% of the cost, but not more than UAH 5 thousand per 1 kW;
- hybrid inverter – 50% of the cost, but not more than UAH 4 thousand per 1 kW.
The Energy Efficient House programme is available for thermal modernisation of buildings and modernisation of the power supply and heat supply systems. Residents can receive reimbursement of up to 30%, but no more than UAH 50 thousand of the loan principal. The bank partner here is JSC CB Lviv. The programme has recently been expanded. In particular, the list of energy-efficient equipment and materials eligible for reimbursement of the principal of a loan taken out by individuals for their purchase has been expanded to include solar power plants, including those with energy storage systems.
There is also a Warm Home programme for energy saving measures and other home improvements. Reimbursement of 30% of the loan principal, not exceeding UAH 1 million. Deducted from the cost of works and materials. The loan is provided by JSC CB Globus.
Condominiums can also take advantage of government programmes:
- GreenDom – for the purchase of equipment for solar power plants. The compensation is 70% of the cost of the equipment, not more than UAH 30 thousand per 1 kW.
- EnergoDom – for the arrangement of IHS, balancing of the heating system, repair of roofs, replacement of windows and doors. Compensation of 70% of the project cost.
- Restore the House – to restore windows, facades, roofs and networks damaged by shelling. Reimbursement is 100%, but not more than UAH 7.2 million.
Lviv was also the first of the large regional cities to join the Revolving Fund for Cities programme of the Association of Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine. As a result, condominiums and housing cooperatives in Lviv can receive interest-free, repayable financial assistance for building repairs, energy efficiency and accessibility measures. Assistance for a period of 12 months is provided by a decision of the city competition commission, which must be submitted with the relevant package of documents.
The maximum loan amount that condominiums can receive is the amount that does not exceed the receipts to the bank accounts of condominiums over the past 6 months.
As noted by Serhiy Soltys, Head of the Condominiums Support Unit of the Housing and Infrastructure Department of the Lviv City Council, the city is also developing new programmes that may be useful and help make the building energy independent.
As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed that the officials would collect all the issues raised by the condominium managers and hold similar meetings with condominiums in the near future, but in different districts.