Retrofits Keep Heat In and Emissions Down Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

7K

TONs OF CO₂ EMIssIONs REdUCEd ANNUAllY

Inhabitants 1.54 million

GdP per capita $5,653

Geographic area 4,704 km²

ThE ChAllENGE

The energy sector is responsible for around 70% of Mongolia’s GHG emissions, of which the building sector accounts for 11% through heat and electricity consumption. This highlights the need for energy efficiency improvements in both new and existing buildings throughout the city.

CO-BENEFITs

social

Private sector participation is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs in both construction and manufacturing sectors in Ulaanbaatar.

health

The project will reduce air pollution through decreased energy demand in the buildings that have coal-based heating, improving air quality for citizens.

UlaanBaatar, monGolia retrofits Keep heat in and emissions down

Ulaanbaatar is targeting leaky building facades with a retrofitting program to improve insulation and decrease the heating required in the cold Mongolian winters.

The Mongolian capital is targeting insulation improvements in some of the central apartment buildings that are over 30 years old and extremely inefficient.

By targeting 375 buildings in the first phase with improved wall and ceiling insulation, as well as installing triple glazed windows, the city estimates they can reduce almost 7,000 tCO2e emissions annually. The savings will primarily come from reduced demand for coal-intensive heating and power.

For the first phase, the government is focusing on retrofitting 375 building blocks over the next 5 years at a cost of $72 million. In preparation for the start of the scaling up of the building retrofitting project, the municipal government has begun a demonstration project retrofitting with an initial 51 building blocks, at a cost of $2.5 million.

If the project goes well, the city could look to implement similar retrofits to the rest of the 1,072 building blocks.

Building retrofitting. Ulaanbaatar is piloting an energy efficiency program in 375 buildings in the central district to reduce emissions and fuel bills for residents (photo by ADB).