Monitoring energy consumption data can lead energy efficiency measures and bills savings
In the Republic of Moldova, almost 60% of energy consumption comes from buildings: the residential sector and public buildings. The industrial sector consumes approximately 9% of total energy. To reduce consumption, it is necessary to have reliable data. The Energy Management Information System (EMIS) can help institutions, especially public ones, become more energy efficient and optimize their energy consumption.
EMIS was developed and launched by UNDP in Croatia in 2006, where it was replicated in over 13,000 public buildings. Later, the EMIS model was adapted by other countries, including Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. If used properly, the system could help generate savings of 5 to 15%. Monitoring data on energy and water consumption may help the managers of public institutions take decisions and adopt a more efficient energy management, which will lead to savings of financial resources.
In the Republic of Moldova, EMIS started to be used in 2020. The system was adapted with the support of UNDP Moldova and the Global Environment Facility, in partnership with Green City Lab Moldova.
Learn more about the effectiveness of EMIS in the interview below with Irina Apostol, EMIS developer at Green City Lab Moldova.
What is the energy management information system and why it is important in the context of energy efficiency in buildings?
The Energy Management Information System (EMIS) is a software platform that helps to monitor and analyze data on energy and water use, and as a result to make smart energy efficiency decisions, including to reduces the utilities costs. The system can be used for residential multi-storey buildings, public institutions, as well as for private houses. It can be connected to smart meters to have live data on energy and water use or to be interconnected with the utilities bills issuing systems.
Having all data on a platform that facilitates the monitoring, it becomes very easy to understand the energy consumption patterns, identify areas of surplus, and take action to reduce the consumption and the costs, including to set the energy efficiency goals, track progress and measure the impact of energy efficiency measures.
What is the experience of the Green City Lab or Moldova more broadly with setting up and running such a system?
EMIS adaptation in Moldova became possible thanks to the support provided by UNDP Moldova through its project “Moldova Sustainable Green Cities”, financed by the Global Environment Facility. From the very beginning, 17 public buildings from Chișinău Municipality have been connected to EMIS, and over 80 smart meters have been installed to collect data on resource usage, allowing for remote and real-time monitoring of energy consumption. UN House in Chișinău was also connected to the EMIS system and equipped with smart meters.
This year, with the financial support of the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Independent Think-Tank Expert-Grup, Green City Lab Moldova started to populate EMIS with consumption data for more than 3000 public institutions. This exercise will help us to identify the 300 buildings with the lowest energy efficiency and enable the systematic implementation of detailed energy management and measures to make their envelope and engineering systems more efficient.
Further on, we are planning to expand EMIS, and we are working on this with the public authorities from Moldova, including the Ministry of Energy and Agency for Energy Efficiency.
How important is energy management for the transformation of Chișinău municipality and other urban centers into modern, green, and smart European cities, with improved quality of life for their inhabitants and opportunities for sustainable economic growth?
In the Republic of Moldova, nearly 60% of energy consumption is generated by the residential sector and public buildings, while the industry sector consumes approximately 9% of total energy.
Data on energy usage is critical for the country’s transformation. It can provide valuable insights into energy consumption patterns, identify areas for improvement and efficiency, and enable the implementation of data-driven solutions and technologies.
This approach can lead to a reduction in carbon footprint, improved air quality, and a more sustainable and liveable environment for residents.
Energy management is a quite new activity for the Republic of Moldova overall, and for the public authorities, specifically. In partnership with UNDP Moldova, we are working on developing supporting programmes for authorities and private sector. Adaptation and scaling of EMIS in our country is one of the examples in this regard.
The original interview was published by the Kurir publication in the context of the regional symposium “Energy efficiency of the buildings in the Balkan+ region”, at which the Republic of Moldova participates and is represented by Ion Muntean from Agency for Energy Efficiency and Irina Apostol from Green City Lab Moldova.
The event is organized by UNDP with the support of the Governments of Germany, Japan and Slovakia and takes place on 30–31 May in Belgrade, Serbia.
