CLI-MA – From Housing Manager to Climate Manager

Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of GHG emissions in the EU. This is due largely to the big number of old buildings that do not meet energy efficiency standards. To achieve the goal set by the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the renovation rate must be increased considerably. Yet, available financial support from domestic and EU sources is not fully tapped by building owners in Poland and in Latvia. 

The logo of the CLI-MA project. Photo: © CLI-MA

Building managers play a crucial role in organizing refurbishment processes and fundraising. Therefore, the project addressed the building managers by providing standardized training curricula based on German experience. The training focused on preparation, financing and implementation of climate change mitigating measures related to energy and water use in residential multi-family buildings and their surroundings. Polish and Latvian experts prepared the training materials. The project organized pilot trainings for 20 candidates per country. To guarantee the widespread sharing of the project results, various media activities, national workshops, and an international workshop during the annual 62nd International Scientific Conference at Riga Technical University were organized. The project concluded with a final public event in Germany as part of the annual Deutscher Verwaltertag.

• Energy efficiency integrated into education and training: The project has firmly established the topics of energy efficiency and sustainable building management in academic education and professional training. In Poland, the course is available on the e-learning platform (e-learning.fpe.org.pl) of the Energy Conservation Foundation (Fundację Poszanowania Energii – FPE), and in Latvia, it has been integrated into the compulsory modules of various degree programmes at Riga Technical University. In addition, official partnerships have been established with national real estate management associations in Poland and Latvia, which ensure the provision of training for climate managers.
• Sharing practical knowledge in pilot training courses: As part of the project's pilot training courses in Poland and Latvia, around 100 people expanded their knowledge of energy efficiency, which they were able to apply directly to sustainable building management and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By the end of the project, 173 people had registered for the training courses.
• Transregional benefits: The training strategy and content were disseminated at several events, conferences, training courses and webinars, as well as through information campaigns on social media. This enabled the project content to be used transregionally in the Baltic states and throughout Eastern Europe, raising awareness of the benefits of climate management in buildings.