In Romania, GEFF provided finance and advice to help households to reduce residential energy costs using high-performance technologies and practices.
EBRD loaned €100 million to local participating financial institutions (PFIs) for energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy investments, of which:
How GEFF works
Two basic approaches:
Pre-approved technologies were eligible to be financed using GEFF without any further technical approval. All save energy, or save water, or use renewable energy. Items had to meet or exceed high technical performance standards defined by GEFF engineers and set by EBRD as technical eligibility criteria for GEFF.
Eligible technologies for households included: Refrigerators and freezers; Air conditioners; LED lighting; Gas boilers; Biomass boilers; Hot water cylinders; Termopan windows and doors; Building insulation materials; Heat pumps; Solar collectors; Solar PV; Energy metering and control systems; and water-saving systems and technologies.
2. Assessed investments with free technical consultancy.
For green investments too complicated for the simple ‘pre-approved’ approach described above, EBRD provided free expert technical support to help identify the best solutions and ensure quality green economy projects were successfully financed.
The technical support was carried out by a local GEFF team from consultants Tractebel Engineering, working under contract to EBRD. The consultant also certified that the investment proposals were technically eligible to be financed using GEFF and operated a technical Help Desk.
Donors
The Facility in Romania was a product of EBRD, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, working in cooperation with GEF, the Global Environment Facility and TaiwanICDF, the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund