Kaunas
Kaunas uses Display to communicate the environmental benefits of renovating existing buildings to the publicBackground
Kaunas with its nearly 400 thousand inhabitants is one of the most significant Lithuanian cities. It is not only a city of traditions, but also a large centre of business and industry. With its seven universities and numerous schools, it is a very young city. But it is still affected by the problems which are common for many of the former Eastern block countries. The buildings are old and do not have a good energy performance. Greenhouse gas emissions are still very high and many of the inhabitants do not sufficiently take care of water and energy consumption.
Nowadays climate change is already perceptible and it is obvious that everyone has to play their part within their own restricted means. The city of Kaunas as a role model started an interesting project in order to move in the right direction via renovating the Kazio Griniaus High School in the heart of the city.
Building details
| Type of building |
Educational |
| Year of construction / Floor area / Operating hours |
The school was constructed in 1982.
It has a floor area of about 7172 m² and its operating hours amount to 45 per week.
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| Heating installed |
Gas stove heating |
| Energy / Water / CO2 label |
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Project description
| Aim |
Due to the fact that there are still too many buildings in Kaunas that are not efficient, this project was aimed at getting the building renovation ‘ball rolling’ in the city with a visible renovation project at a local high school.
The results of the renovation will be monitored using the "Display" posters, which already show a significant improvement in 2005, compared to 2003.
The renovation of the school building contributes to the implementation of the “Energy Performance of Building Directive”. Furthermore, the renovation is also part of Kaunas City Municipality’s entry to the European Energy Award and it forms part of the city’s Energy 21 project under the Agenda 21 programme.
Through renovating the school the city had the double aim of improving the energy performance of the building as well as the quality of the classroom environment.
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| Key points |
The renovation took three months (June - August 2004). The company "Baltijos Brasta" carried out the construction work without any problems.
During the renovation a new heating system was installed including new radiators, pipelines, and a new heat substation with heat exchangers. In order to keep the heat within the building the roof was insulated.
All windows and frames were replaced and are now double glazed and equipped with a 5 chamber system. A ventilation system with heat recovery system was also installed. The recovered heat is used for the canteen, sports hall and the changing-room. The classrooms are still ventilated by manual ventilation (via opening the windows). In addition to that the windows are provided with a duct system and air vents, which improve natural ventilation.
In January 2007, a huge poster (A1) was hung above the front door of the school. The aim of the poster is to catch the attention of all building users and ensure that the performance of the building is visible.
Furthermore the results of “Display” were published using communication materials during various national and international events. There were for example presentations in Visby (SE), Venice (IT), Huelva (ES), Riga (LV), and Ghotland (SE). The Display project was also presented at meetings with the Mayors of different Lithuanian cities like Birštonas, Jonava, Kaišiadoriai, Kėdainiai, Prienai, Raseiniai, Šiauliai, and Alytus.
In addition an exhibition called "Kaunas 2006" was organised where the results of Display were shown to the general public.
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| Reason for inclusion as Shining Example |
The Display project is the first step in Lithuania and especially in Kaunas; there are no similar projects in other Lithuanian cities. It raises awareness concerning energy and water consumption and promotes the interest and know-how of people who are working in this field. Hopefully this kind of project will multiply in the near future as it is a good example that shows the way for other municipalities who want to improve the environmental performance of their buildings. |
Costs & benefits
| Costs & funding |
The total renovation cost amounted to 3 000 000 Lt (868 860 EUR) (1 EUR = 3.4528 Lt).
Funding for the project was provided by three sources, with the following split:
 World Bank loan: 50%,
Lithuanian Government: 25%,
Kaunas city municipality: 25%.
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| Benefits |
Prior to the renovation, the school had old wooden window frames, which resulted in heat loss. Also, the noise level inside the classrooms was quite high, because of their poor protection from outside noises.
_Furthermore the old heating system did not allow heating to be regulated for individual rooms. The renovation has minimised heat loss via the window frames, reduced the level of outdoor noise heard in the classrooms and enabled the heating system to be adjusted for each room individually.
_The results of the renovation for improving energy performance and reducing CO2 emissions have been monitored using the Display Campaign.
The performance of the school in 2005 improved significantly compared to the reference year 2003..
The renovation of the school building in Kaunas also provides pupils and teachers with an improved classroom environment (not noisy or cold).
A general benefit of this project is that combining a renovation programme with the Display communication campaign (using the Display poster), allows the improvement of the performance of the school to be visible to pupils and other building users and thus improves their awareness of energy and water consumption.
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Partnership details
| Partners and role |
1. Kaunas Regional Energy Agency: initiator of the Display Campaign, calculation of the Display posters
2. The Kaunas City Municipality, Energy Department: collection and presentation of necessary data in order to evaluate the performance of the municipality buildings
3. The Mayor of Kaunas City, Mr. A. Garbaravičius: took part in the official hanging of the poster in one school.
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Recommendations
| Achievements |
For all those involved, the renovation was a great success.
That is why they are planning to renovate all schools and kindergartens in Kaunas. Discussions have already taken place in order to source finances for the renovations. The building managers have already performed a first check of the present situation of the radiators, windows and pipelines of the buildings.
KREA will carry out the energy audit which is obligatory in order to receive any financial support.
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| Lessons learned |
Concerning the Display communication Campaign KREA acted independently and did not receive any advice or support from other organisations in the city. It would be helpful to involve more people with this Campaign in order to reach even more citizens and to make them aware of energy and water consumption. Thereby even other buildings in Kaunas can achieve tangible results like the Kazio Griniaus School. |
To know more
| Organisation name |
Kaunas Regional Energy Agency (KREA) |
| Adress |
Breslaujos st. 3B-202
Kaunas, LT-44403
|
| Contact |
Feliksas Zinevicius |
| Phone |
+370 37 491036 |
| Email |
krea@techpark.lt |
| Website |
www.krea.lt |
Useful info
| Websites |
The school’s website: http://www.grinius.kaunas.lm.lt/
European Energy Award: www.european-energy-award.org
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| Arrangements to visit |
For interested people, there is the possibility to visit the school. The school principal, Mr. Stanislovas Simanauskas (Tel. Nr +370 37 386754), is very open to provide further information. |
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