2014年-世界发展银行全球_Municipal_Budgeting_and_Finance___Scaling_Up_Energy_Efficiency_in_Buildings_in_the_Western_Balkans_27页_1mb

报告摘要

Summary of "Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Buildings in the Western Balkans"

Core Content

This guidance note focuses on the challenges and opportunities for scaling up energy efficiency (EE) in public buildings in the Western Balkans. It outlines current municipal budgeting and financing practices, identifies key barriers to EE investments, and presents a roadmap for improvement based on international experience.

The document emphasizes that while EE investments are crucial for reducing operating costs and improving infrastructure, they are not a high priority for local governments due to a lack of awareness, limited financial mechanisms, and short-term political decision-making.

Main Findings and Key Points

1. Municipal Budgeting and Financing Overview

Centralization: Municipal budgeting in the Western Balkans is more centralized than in the EU, with local government revenues representing only 11–25% of consolidated public revenues.
Conditional Transfers: Many municipalities rely heavily on conditional or earmarked grants from national and regional governments, which limits their autonomy in allocating funds based on local priorities.
High Capital Investment Rates: Municipalities in the six Western Balkan countries allocate 19–35% of their budgets to capital investments, which is higher than the EU27 average of 11%. This reflects the need for infrastructure upgrades due to chronic underinvestment.

2. Energy Expenditures in Municipal Budgets

Low Political Relevance: Energy expenditures are not a separate category in municipal budgets; they are usually included under "goods and services."
Small Share of Budgets: Energy costs typically account for 1–3% of municipal budgets, despite being a significant expense when aggregated at the national level.
Disguised Costs: Energy costs are scattered across multiple budget items, making it hard for local decision-makers to assess their impact.

3. Key Barriers to EE Investments

Short-Term Budgeting: The one-year budgeting cycle prevents municipalities from amortizing EE investments through future energy savings.
Separate Capital and Operating Budgets: EE investments (capital) are difficult to repay using energy cost savings (operating expenses), which are often treated separately.
Line Item Budgeting: This restricts the use of energy savings to repay loans for EE projects.
Lack of Retention Mechanisms: Municipalities often cannot retain energy savings for future repayment of debts.
Short-Term Political Priorities: Local officials tend to favor projects with shorter payback periods, making long-term EE investments less attractive.
Limited Budget Autonomy: Municipalities cannot invest in EE without aligning with national priorities.
Social Cost Impositions: National laws may impose social costs on municipal budgets, indirectly affecting EE investment decisions.
Restrictions on Borrowing: Many municipalities lack credit ratings, borrowing histories, or the ability to use public assets as collateral, limiting access to credit.

4. Potential Solutions and Recommendations

The document suggests several milestones for improving EE investments in public buildings:

Incorporate EE as a Criterion: Make energy efficiency a criterion for allocating national investment funds.
Earmark National EE Funds: Direct national EE funds towards municipal projects.
Establish National Support Programs: Develop programs for EE in municipal buildings, including energy audits, energy management systems (EMS), and ESCO models.
Implement Energy Accounting: Introduce detailed energy accounting to identify energy savings and improve budget transparency.
Update Local EE Action Plans: Develop, implement, and regularly update Municipal Energy Efficiency Action Plans (MEEAPs) and Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs).
Enhance Borrowing Capacity: Improve the ability of municipalities to access credit through better financial practices and credit ratings.

5. Conclusion

The successful scaling up of EE in public buildings in the Western Balkans requires a coordinated effort among national governments, local authorities, and international donors. It involves not only policy reforms but also the development of appropriate financial mechanisms and capacity building to support long-term EE investments.

Roadmap for Scaling Up EE in Public Buildings

The proposed roadmap includes the following steps:

Implementation of EE as a criterion for national investment funds.
Earmarking of national EE funds for municipal use.
Creation of national support programs for EE in municipal buildings.
Development and updating of local EE action plans.
Introduction of energy accounting in municipal budgets.
Establishment of national grant programs for energy audits and EE action plans.
Support for the introduction of energy management systems.
Development of national support programs for ESCO models.
Improvement of municipal borrowing capacity.