UNDP delivers practical training in Bukhara region on energy-efficient technologies in construction

September 7, 2020

Image: UNDP Uzbekistan

7 September 2020, Bukhara - Heads of 26 construction organizations attended a practical training workshop on energy-efficient building technologies on August 21, 2020 in the Peshku district of Bukhara region.  This event was organized by the “Market Transformation for Sustainable Rural Housing in Uzbekistan” project, which is run jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Construction of the Republic of Uzbekistan, under funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Various modern energy-efficient technologies and materials were demonstrated during the event, with a focus on four-storey apartment buildings designed by the project and now being widely applied in the Bukhara region and across Uzbekistan under the state programme on affordable rural housing. In addition to the heads of the 26 construction organizations, the training was also attended by representatives of the national rural housing construction agency Qishloq Qurilish Invest and the head of the Navbahor makhalla committee.

The practical training included a visit to an active construction site, where participants could see insulation and other energy-efficient technology and materials being installed. They learned, a specific approach for, insulating the houses where the floor, walls and the roof of the house are layered with special materials, such as basalt mats with 160 kg/m3 density for the walls, which reduce heat losses by 30% . Experts of the project pointed out potential installation errors and provided guidance on how to avoid them.  Participants also had the opportunity to pose questions and receive answers from the experts. 

“This year in the Peshku district on the territory of the Navbahor makhalla committee, two four-storey buildings each with 3 entrances and a total capacity of 24 apartments are being built, which makes up 48 apartments,” said Kodir Tolibov, head of the Peshku G`isht Servis private enterprise. “As a contractor, we are responsible for the quality construction and submission of the finished project,” he continued. “Participation in the training allowed us to obtain a detailed and visual acquaintance with technologies that were still new to us. I am sure this will help local constructors avoid mistakes when using energy-efficient building materials at their facilities and improve the quality of work performed.” 

The transition to energy-efficient construction in Peshku and the Bukhara region is part of a larger nationwide transformation.  Under a decree from President Mirziyoyev in November 2018, all housing built under the state programme for affordable rural housing must be energy-efficient.  Designs developed by the project are being universally used to comply with this decree. 

“This year 444 multi-storey buildings will be built and commissioned across Uzbekistan,” says the chief engineer of the regional branch of the Qishloq Qurilish Invest LLC engineering company, Khusniddin Nurmukhammedov, referring to national targets for the state programme in 2020. “Each building will use energy-efficient materials for the facade, floor and roof.”

Furthermore, UNDP is piloting designs that go even beyond the energy-efficiency requirements, to include solar photovoltaic generation.  The workshop included also guidance on these additional features.

“It is planned to install solar panels for 120 apartments, which will each have a capacity of 600 W,” notes Mr. Nurmukhammedov.  “According to the design, they will provide lighting and power supply for 3 sockets of the refrigerator, TV and a mobile phone in each apartment.”

“The advantage of these houses is that solar panels are used in them, and the apartments are warm in winter and cool in summer,” adds Ramazon Navrozov, head of the Navbahor makhalla committee of the Peshku district.  “Our Uzbekistan is full of sunshine all twelve months of the year. Even in the event of a power outage, there will always be lighting in these houses.”

The objective of the UNDP is to provide the rural population with improved, affordable and environmentally friendly living conditions.  In addition to building design and training, the project has also created a “green mortgage” mechanism to ensure affordability of low-carbon rural housing, and has delivered supply-chain support and building code revisions.  Taken together, these activities are accelerating the transition in tens of thousands of units of rural housing per year, putting comfortable homes within reach for families while significantly reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.