8 July 2014: The Albanian Government has initiated work on a national roadmap for energy-efficiency in the residential sector and harmonizing related legislation. The Albanian Ministries of Energy and Industry, and Urban Development and Tourism are undertaking the effort with assistance from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

As part of the collaboration, a workshop on ‘Energy Efficient Housing for Sustainable Development’ was held for national stakeholders from 7-8 July 2014, in Tirana, Albania. The meeting aimed at: raising awareness on energy-efficient housing; informing of sectoral energy consumption reduction obligations arising from Albania’s accession to the EU; and discussing ways to improve energy efficiency in the country. A national roadmap for an energy-efficient residential sector will be developed as an outcome of the workshop. Another area of work will be harmonizing legislation in the areas of energy efficiency and energy performance of buildings. The Albanian Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism intends to develop a new building code, implement compliance energy efficienty requirements for all new buildings, and refurbish existing ones.

In the UNECE region, which comprises 56 countries and is home to around a fifth of the world’s population, buildings account for one third of total final energy consumption, with the residential sector using up to three-quarters of this amount. UNECE’s work on energy efficient housing includes a number of publications intended to provide tools and good practices, and assistance to member States to organize workshops and develop national action plans.

Existing UNECE publications, also used by Albania in its work on energy efficiency, include an action plan for energy-efficient housing in the region (2010), and guides on green homes (2012) and good practices (2013). In May 2014, UNECE countries agreed to develop a charter on sustainable housing for the region. [UNECE Press Release] [Workshop Website] [Publication: Action Plan for Energy-Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region] [Publication: Green Homes: Towards Energy-Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region]; [Publication: Good Practices for Energy-Efficient Housing in the UNECE Region] [IISD-RS Article on the Charter for Sustainable Housing in the UNECE Region]