The fourth Croenergy 2017 – a conference organized by the Regional Energy Agency (REGEA) on the topic of launching and securing financing for energy renovation and energy efficiency projects – began today at the headquarters of Regea, the energy-renovated castle Bračak in Zagorje.
– We will try to talk less ex-cathedra and more to discuss and reflect with the aim of transferring the knowledge accumulated in energy agencies, counties, and cities to colleagues coming from the region and the rest of Croatia. Our idea is to show that it is possible to work as the best in Europe do, and the message is that it is possible to work well, think critically, and be successful in Croatia. It is necessary to know and want, and that is in our common interest – said the director of Regea, Julije Domac, during the opening of the conference.
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The head of the City of Zagreb’s Department of Economy and a member of the Regea Management Board, Mirka Jozić, emphasized the concrete importance of energy renovation of buildings, as a significant amount of energy is consumed in construction, which many overlook. Private and public buildings account for as much as 40% of total energy consumption (36% of total CO2 emissions) in the European Union, and their renovation could reduce energy needs at the EU level by more than 17%. She also noted that it is necessary to develop regions evenly.
– We believe that we need to develop the region evenly, we are particularly proud of Bračak, although we are a bit jealous that it is not in Zagreb. Administrative boundaries cannot be the limits of our action, as people do not function that way, and I am glad that political obstacles are being moved here, although politics often hinders us in projects. The energy agency Regea has shown that politics is not a problem and can operate regardless of who is in power – said Mirka Jozić.
The prefect of Krapina-Zagorje County, Željko Kolar, noted that the headquarters of Regea, the Bračak castle, is an example of how 21st-century technology can restore a cultural asset from the 19th century, and then reminded of the county’s success in the energy renovation of schools. However, he also pointed out that state administration sometimes hinders local projects.
– If we had not started projects with Regea, I am not sure how we would function today, especially regarding schools. Politics is there to create conditions for projects to be realized, and in the New Light project, according to our old good Croatian custom, you encounter problems in the Ministry on the last step, so we probably will not be able to use measure 4c4 for that project. We must learn long-term planning. The profession, politics, and the private sector must already think about which projects to pursue from 2020 to 2030 – said Kolar.
