România Eficientă program continues with a EUR 1.5 mn investment to expand and rehabilitate the "Zig-Zag" kindergarten in Ovidiu

The 70-year-old building will be renovated according to nZEB requirements.
The project includes works to consolidate and extend the kindergarten building.

2023, May 24. The "Zig-Zag" kindergarten in Ovidiu (Constanța county) has started a major modernization process through the România Eficientă program, run by Energy Policy Group and supported by OMV Petrom, the official sponsor. Built in the 1950s, the kindergarten will benefit from works to increase its energy performance, to be brought to nZEB standards (nearly-zero energy consumption building), as well as works to consolidate and extend the capacity. The total investment amounts to around EUR 1.5 mn.

The “Zig-Zag” Kindergarten is currently in an advanced state of wear and tear and requires consolidation works. After renovation, the building will be upgraded from energy efficiency class E (lower limit being class G) to the highest energy class (A). The total annual energy consumption will be reduced by more than 60% and the carbon emissions, by about six times. The kindergarten will be equipped with renewable energy systems, i.e. photovoltaic panels and heat pumps. The project also includes the extension of the kindergarten building.

Christina Verchere, CEO OMV Petrom: "I am glad to see that the România Eficientă program is becoming a model in the field of energy efficiency. We are proving in this way that we can reduce energy consumption and at the same time improve thermal comfort in modernized buildings. Also, we are contributing to the education for the responsible consumption of natural resources, as the pupils and pre-school children, who will learn in the new modernized classrooms, can become ambassadors of change."

Radu Dudău, President of EPG and coordinator of the România Eficientă program: "After the completion of the two major and innovative nZEB renovation projects in Prahova County, we are pleased to have opened a new construction site, this time in Constanta County. Unlike the previous investments, at the kindergarten in Ovidiu we will also carry out works to consolidate the building, which is about 70 years old, and to extend it. It will again be a challenging project, but this makes us even more want to demonstrate how old buildings can be transformed into modern and highly energy-efficient spaces. In addition, we will create much better conditions to play, study and rest for around 100 pre-school children, which makes us especially happy."

The "Zig-Zag" kindergarten is facing the following problems: deficiencies of the building structure, lack of thermal insulation, worn-out exterior woodwork, old and inefficient heating system, outdated water and sewage plumbing, lack of ventilation or air conditioning systems, electrical wiring not adapted to current needs, etc.
The main works included in the energy performance improvement project:

Thermal insulation of external walls;
Replacement of existing woodwork with energy efficient one;
Thermal insulation of floors;
Replacement of the heating system with a hybrid system (heat pumps, gas-fired central heating and underfloor heating);
Replacement of the hot water system;
Installation of a ventilation system with heat recovery;
Installation of a photovoltaic panel electricity generation system;
Replacing the lighting system with a high-performance LED system;
Replacement of the electrical wiring;
Replacing the interior woodwork;
Final touches.

This is the third educational unit at the national level entered into the process of energy efficiency at nZEB standard through the România Eficientă program. The first nZEB renovated school was "Elie Radu" Energetic Technological High School in Ploiești, where works worth EUR 1 mn were completed in April 2022. The second unit was the Liliești Secondary School - Băicoi (Prahova County), energetically rehabilitated and modernized through an investment of around EUR 1.6 mn and inaugurated in March 2023.

About România Eficientă

România Eficientă is a private project of national scope carried out by Energy Policy Group (EPG) in partnership and with the financing of OMV Petrom. The project started in the summer of 2019 and consists in developing a national program to promote energy efficiency. România Eficientă aims to support the achievement of Romania’s targets for 2030 regarding the reduction of carbon emissions and the increase of energy efficiency, both through awareness and education campaigns, as well as through the implementation of concrete major renovation projects in public schools from various regions of the country. You can find more details on the website romania-eficienta.ro.

About Energy Policy Group

Energy Policy Group Association (EPG) is an independent and non-profit think-tank, specialized in energy and climate policies, market analysis and energy strategy, founded in 2014. EPG contributes to the realization of a technologically advanced, sustainable, and socially acceptable energy system. EPG also promotes long-term decarbonisation policies and measures in all economic areas: energy, buildings, transport, industry, agriculture.

About OMV Petrom

OMV Petrom is the largest integrated energy company in South-Eastern Europe, with an annual Group hydrocarbon production of approximately 43 million boe in 2022. The Group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates an 860 MW high-efficiency power plant. The Group is present on the oil products retail market in Romania and neighboring countries through approximately 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom.

OMV Petrom is a company in which Romanian shareholders hold over 42% of the shares (of which the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Energy, holds 20.7%, and 21.7% are owned by pension funds in Romania, to which are added almost 500,000 individual investors and other Romanian entities). OMV Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria, holds a 51.2% stake in OMV Petrom, and the remaining 6.4% are held by other foreign investors. Of the total shares of OMV Petrom, 28.1% represents the free float on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and the London Stock.

OMV Petrom is the largest contributor to the state budget, with approximately 39 billion euro in taxes and dividends paid between 2005 and 2022. During the same period, the company invested approximately 17 billion euro. In 2022, the taxes paid by OMV Petrom ensured 7% of Romania's tax revenues.

Since 2007, OMV Petrom has included corporate responsibility principles into its business strategy. Between 2007 and 2022, the company has allocated around 120 million euro to develop communities in Romania, focusing on environmental protection, education, health, and local development.

On July 29th, 2020, OMV Petrom announced its support for the recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) regarding risks and opportunities on climate change. OMV Petrom annually reports on the progress made in implementing these recommendations.