“I believe that if the people of Estonia were to list their three main concerns, it would look something like this: Incomes that are too low, electricity and heating bills that are too high, too little free time. Energy efficiency is therefore not simply a buzzword, but the opportunity for many Estonians to noticeably improve their quality of life," said Keit Pentus-Rosimannus. The Minister of the Environment emphasised that since nearly half of the energy consumed in Estonia is used by households, investments should be directed there. “Our prefabricated houses are between 25-35 years old, and it is not realistic that we immediately demolish all of those energy leaking buildings and build new and more efficient buildings in their place. The economic possibilities of Estonia’s people do not allow for this. Therefore the primary focus of attention must be directed towards the insulating of existing houses – next year we will invest EUR 10 million through Kredex in the renovation of apartment buildings. According to current plans, we have will have insulated half of the apartment buildings in Estonia, which means a noticeable conservation of energy and significantly’ smaller bills,” said the Minister of the Environment. According to her, consideration should be given to the fact that houses are not only energy efficient but also living friendly in every other way. “Each year in Estonia we lose nearly 2600 healthy years because of poor indoor climate, which is five times more than in Sweden. Health friendly materials, proper ventilation and lighting must be as natural as good thermal insulation”. Pentus-Rosimannus also raised the question of the content of the energy portfolio. “A solution is definitely not consuming electricity extremely efficiently while producing it by wasting resources and damaging the environment. If we truly want to be energy efficient in our energy sector, we must rethink today's oil shale based energy: this polluting and burdensome method of energy production for the consumer will soon no longer be competitive on the free market”. Energy conservation week was opened today, with the debate "Estonia 2020+ Energy and the Population’s Energy Consumption“, at the Sokos Hotel Viru Additional information about the week’s schedule can be found at http://energiatark.ee/. |
