From December 11th to 19th, 2023, each SEMP municipality (namely Berat, Korca, Permet and Shkodra), hosted a comprehensive two-day training session titled “Preliminary energy assessment and financing of EE in public buildings“. The aim was to enhance skills in commissioning preliminary energy audits, analyzing results, and prioritizing actions. The course included a blend of ten theoretical sessions and hands-on experience through a practical walk-through audit.

Participants learned the entire process, from procuring energy audits to creating a project pipeline for enhancing energy efficiency in public buildings. A special emphasis was placed on financing. Expert guidance was provided on aligning project concepts with available financial resources.

Key discussion points covered:

• Understanding the distinction between actual consumption and normative energy demand baseline.
• Assessing building structural integrity as a key factor for retrofit eligibility.
• Strategies for selecting the right energy efficiency (EE) measures.
• Planning for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems.
• Estimating the costs associated with EE retrofitting.
• Technical specifics for EE envelope measures, such as U-values, in both Albania and the EU.

Over 60 attendees, including 30+ from the four MEMUs, 10+ from the Agency for Energy Efficiency, and 20 from the private sector received the training. SEMP equipped all participants with a suite of tools to apply their new knowledge effectively, including energy audit guidelines, checklists, audit report templates, draft project fiches for public building EE improvements, and investment pipeline templates for building reconstruction.