COMMITMENTS TO OVERCOME THE ENERGY CRISIS

Abstract

Increase in the price of electricity in the past period, crisis with COVID-19, as well as the war in Ukraine,
have led to uncertainty about what kind of winter we will have and how we will meet it in terms of electricity
supply. This situation imposes the need to search for appropriate solutions that will alleviate the situation, for which,
in reality, no one has a real picture yet. The Republic of North Macedonia, as a candidate country for membership in
the European Union, follows the steps and legal regulations of the EU, implementing the regulations and
recommendations that should be applied in the direction of energy standards. Hence, changes were made in the legal
regulations of the state, i.e. the new energy law was adopted, which is in line with the European regulations, Energy
Development Strategy until 2040, and the National Climate and Energy Plan was adopted.
The energy transition in Europe is an inevitable process, which is also happening in the Republic of North
Macedonia. According to such commitments at the state level, local self-government units have their own significant
role in the transition process, applying the use of renewable energy sources. Hence, the need to include appropriately
trained personnel in the municipalities is increasingly being imposed, in order to make their own contribution to
better energy standards, and thus environmental protection.
From the experiences so far, the Municipality of Bitola, within the framework of the legal regulations, is working on
the process of improving the energy efficiency of the buildings under its jurisdiction. This means that in addition to
the building of the municipal administration, the facilities of public enterprises, schools, kindergartens, the sports
hall "Boro Churlevski" and the nursing home "Sue Ryder" are under the jurisdiction of the municipality.
In all these facilities, it is necessary to determine the level of their energy categorization, that is, the facilities should
receive an appropriate classification in terms of energy efficiency with the letters A to G. If the building has a
category A, it will use up to 90% less energy than the one that is rated as the lowest. Class B will spend about 70%
less than the rest and class C will spend 35% less. In order to improve this categorization, work is being done in the
municipal facilities to improve the heating systems, air conditioning systems, lighting, etc. In the Municipality of
Bitola, in most of the municipal buildings, a large number of activities have been carried out to improve energy
efficiency, and the lighting has been replaced with LED bulbs.
Building insulation is an important part of saving electricity, so it is also a significant step in improving conditions
in buildings. Photovoltaic and their installation, as well as renewable energy sources, not only contribute to saving
electricity, but also reduce CO2 emissions.
The following paper will give an overview of the last measures taken at the local level and the efforts to overcome
the energy crisis, which represents one of the biggest challenges of modern life.