5 Educational Units Modernized with Support from OMV Petrom through the ‘Romania Eficienta’ Program

The ‘Romania Eficienta’ program, implemented by Energy Policy Group (EPG) and supported by OMV Petrom with 15 million euro, led to an average 60% reduction in energy consumption at the five educational units modernized to nZEB standard.

“Education is essential to the development of society, and energy efficiency helps reduce consumption and emissions. The ‘Romania Eficienta’ program brings these two together, transforming educational institutions across Romania into safer, more modern, and more sustainable spaces. We are pleased to support initiatives that bring real value to communities and contribute to the greater good of society,” said Christina Verchere, CEO OMV Petrom.

“OMV Petrom’s support made it possible to develop and expand the program, through which we promote both energy efficiency and community education and information. The benefits are obvious: lower costs, increased comfort and a safer environment for students and teachers. These results show that investments in efficiency and education are investments in the future of society,” said Radu Dudau, EPG Director and Project Coordinator.

Five school buildings modernized to nZEB standards

Since 2019, the program has carried out energy-efficiency renovations on five public school buildings, providing modern and energy-efficient conditions each year to more than 1,000 beneficiaries:

• Boarding School of the Elie Radu Technological High School in Ploiesti
• Liliesti Middle School in Baicoi
• Zig-Zag Kindergarten in Ovidiu
• Workshops and laboratories of the Vernesti Technological High School
• Boarding School of the Tudor Vladimirescu Technological High School in Simian

A new project is underway: the rehabilitation of School no. 1 in Tuzla.

The works included: high-performance thermal insulation, energy-efficient carpentry, modernization of heating and ventilation systems, structural reinforcements where necessary, adaptation to modern safety and accessibility standards, as well as the installation of photovoltaic panels to produce green energy.

Benefits observed by the beneficiary

• Zig-Zag Kindergarten (Ovidiu): energy consumption was reduced by approximately 60%, bills decreased, indoor comfort improved visibly, and students and teachers became more focused, with reduced absenteeism and more responsible behaviours towards energy consumption.
• Vernesti Technological High School: heating costs decreased, even though the heating system and ventilation are now running continuously, compared to just 6 hours a day previously. And students and teachers have developed habits of responsible energy use.

In addition to modernizing the buildings, Romania Eficienta has annually carried out information campaigns and educational activities dedicated to children – from educational shows and interactive workshops to awareness-raising actions on the responsible use of energy – thus strengthening the role of rehabilitated schools as models of good practice in their communities.