Ilsur Metshin opened an international meeting of Mayors on energy efficiency and sustainable development

(KZN.RU, November 23). The state program of energy saving and energy efficiency improvement up to 2020 should be complemented by serious educational unit. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, made this proposal today at the International Forum on Energy Efficiency and Energy Development “ENES-2016” in Moscow.

“A new way to manage the economy is associated with the understanding that resources are finite. Climate change and exhaustible natural resources are in the first row among the most important global issues of relevance to all, without exception, countries and regions. Implementation of energy efficiency programs will allow reducing energy consumption and thus emissions without sacrificing economic growth”, said the head of the Tatarstan’s capital, speaking to the mayors of Dublin, Bottrop, Hyderabad, Greater Manchester and other cities that took part in the Global Forum.

The Mayor of Kazan said that energy efficiency, that is achievement of the same results with fewer resources through the use of advanced technologies, is an objective and perceived need today, a necessary condition for improving the economy's competitiveness, budget savings and minimization of the growth of the population payments for utility services.

Ilsur Metshin paid special attention to Kazan and Tatarstan experience. “The energy intensity of gross regional product fell by 40% in 10 years in the republic, and it had happened at the same time with the growth of population life quality. Kazan has always been among the leaders in terms of reducing the consumption of fuel and energy resources. At the end of 2015 the gross territorial product of the city is 604.3 billion rubles, or 10 billion USA dollars. Since 2010, it has grown by 88% while emissions increased by less than 11%”, said I. Metshin.

According to the Mayor of Kazan, results have been achieved thanks to a combination of measures: improving energy efficiency programs are implemented at all without exception the largest enterprises of Kazan, in the field of public transport, budget organizations and housing and communal services. In general, the volume of investments, attracted from various sources for the implementation of energy saving measures, in Kazan was about 7 billion rubles for the last five years.

As an example, Ilsur Metshin has mentioned the large-scale reform of the transport system: instead of 2500 small capacity buses, twice smaller bus fleet serves passenger today. At the same time all the buses large and medium capacity switched to the environmental standard engines not lower than “Euro-3”, which helped to reduce harmful emissions by half.

The Mayor of Kazan drew particular attention to the existing system of automated metering of energy in the city. “One hundred percent of energy consumption and keeping the water in the housing stock and the public sector is adjusted in Kazan. The accuracy of records, simultaneously readings from the meters, and control of emergencies significantly reduce payments for energy resources. Nodes of heat energy weather regulation are established where it is technically and economically feasible. This has allowed maintaining of a comfortable environment for living, while reducing the costs of thermal energy up to 30%”, he said.

The Mayor also spoke about the modernization of the central hot water supply system (replacement of central heating units on individual automated ones has already helped to reduce the loss of thermal energy by 20-40%), replacement of pipelines, boilers and complex automation of energy efficiency measures. “The economic effect from the implementation of a measures package on energy saving in housing stock only in thermal energy for 2011-2015 years is amounted to 1.9 million Gcal, which is equivalent to 2 billion rubles”, said the Mayor of Kazan.

However, according to Ilsur Metshin, energy conservation and efficiency cannot be fully achieved if this ideology will not be understood and taken up by residents of the city. Therefore, improving the overall culture of energy consumption is necessary. “The education of energy saving culture must begin in kindergartens and continue in schools. Saving energy should be not only profitable, but also prestigious”, said the Mayor. “In addition to prosecution for violations, we need to consider economic incentives for businesses and households, conducting energy saving measures, such as tax incentives. It is also necessary to develop the industry of energy saving technologies, to develop the legal base for the development of energy services, to create a modern and comfortable for the population and business system of utilization of energy efficient equipment that has outlived its useful life”.

At the end of his speech, Ilsur Metshin marked that each contribution in saving natural resources is important, and urged all participants to join the Declaration of Mayors on energy efficiency and sustainable urban development.