Buildings are a major emitter of CO2 and a major energy consumer. Radical changes to the design and construction of buildings, to retrofitting of existing building stock, and to the way energy is supplied and used in buildings are critically important if UNECE member States wish to meet their obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As well as reducing electricity bills, making buildings more energy efficient also improves quality of life.

Practical approaches to achieve these goals were the focus of a training workshop on High Performance Buildings, held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 21-22 November 2019.

Professionals at construction and design companies, scientific and educational organizations, testing laboratories, government officials, independent experts, engineers and architects from Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, and Ukraine had an opportunity to learn first-hand about concrete ways to achieve high performance standards in new and retrofitted buildings.

The event was jointly organized by UNECE and UNDP Armenia under the auspices of the UNECE Joint Task Force on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings and with support of the Urban Development Committee of Armenia.

The Passive House Institute provided information on Passive House fundamentals and components, including construction systems, windows, facades, air tightness and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Training included presentation of examples of buildings constructed and retrofitted to Passive House standard under various climatic and socio-economic conditions and software demonstration.

The second day of the workshop was focused on discussions of countries' experiences in applying high performance buildings principles in practice and on contribution from international organizations in assisting countries in implementing high performance standards in buildings. Panelists and participants looked at the challenges in implementing High Performance Buildings principles and Passive House standard in their countries and at the missing links for adoption of more advanced energy efficiency standards in buildings.

Representatives of UNECE, UNDP, Energy Charter, Energy Community, Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency, and Passive House Institute discussed the role international organizations can have in helping countries with advancing energy efficiency in buildings. Panelists and participants also considered how good examples from other countries with different socio-economic conditions be used in developing policy options and business models for increasing energy efficiency in buildings. UNDP Armenia provided information on their work on “De-Risking and Scaling-up Investment in Energy Efficient Building Retrofits” in Armenia.

Workshop participants highlighted the value of combine practical training for building sector professionals with policy discussions on how to encourage implementation of best practices.