(APES-SK) is an Interest Association of legal entities, which was established with the aim of supporting the use of Energy Performance Contracting in the Slovak Republic in order to strengthen the rational use of limited energy resources. APES-SK was officially registered on August 25, 2014 and currently has 14 members.
The creation of APES-SK was motivated by the need for a coordinated approach of market actors in connection with the following factors shaping the potential for the use of EPC:
Increased interest on the demand side
The interest is primarily motivated by the effort to reduce costs related to energy consumption in connection with the generally poor technical condition of public buildings. Increased demand can therefore be expected especially after complex building renovations.
Changes to the regulatory framework
These result primarily from the adoption of the new European directive on energy efficiency (Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency) and its subsequent transposition into Slovak legislation.
Preparation of the new program period for drawing EU structural funds for the years 2014-2020.
A significant part of the funds allocated for the Slovak Republic will be used for the area of increasing the energy efficiency of public buildings. At the same time, it is necessary to achieve a set amount of energy consumption savings in the area. The use of energy services (and especially EPC) is considered by the European Commission to be an ideal tool for the real achievement of the set goals.
Interest of financial institutions in financing projects in the public sector
The relatively healthy financial sector of the Slovak Republic is interested in placing free funds in projects with a reasonable level of risk. The public sector, or the projects realized in it provide such a level of risk. On the other hand, financial institutions have little information about the specifics of projects where the benefits are cost savings (rather than real sales).