July 24 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it is providing a 2.5 million euro ($2.8 million) loan to the city of Sabac, in western Serbia, for the upgrade of up to 40 multi-storey residential buildings leading to lower energy consumption.
The refurbishment of the buildings, selected on the basis of interest expressed by tenants in a survey conducted by housing associations in 2018, will include thermo-insulation as well as the installation of modern devices that can regulate heat and calculate consumption and heating costs, the EBRD said in a statement on Tuesday.
The project will be implemented by Sabac’s district heating company, a public utility company fully-owned by the city of Sabac.
"We are delighted to support the initiative and financing model of the Sabac district heating company for energy efficiency in housing blocks and we look forward to replicating this model and supporting similar initiatives across Serbia," Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD regional head for Western Balkans, said in the statement.
Sabac, situated on the right bank of the river Sava in the fertile Macva region, has a population of over 50,000. The city is one of the pioneers in energy efficiency measures in the residential buildings sector in Serbia.
In addition to Sabac, the EBRD is also working with the authorities of Serbia's autonomous northern province of Vojvodina, where it seeks to support energy efficiency investments in 80 public buildings such as schools, kindergartens, and administrative buildings.
($ = 0.898118 euro)