ASTANA — The final session of the FELICITY II energy consultant training program recently convened engineers, architects and policymakers in Astana to build expertise in reducing energy use in buildings.
FELICITY II energy consultant training in Astana. Photo credit: Giz Kazakhstan
The program supports sustainable urban infrastructure development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and helps cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It provides technical and analytical assistance to municipalities as they design and implement climate-friendly investments in water supply, wastewater management and energy-efficient buildings. Its goal is to build local capacity for cities to plan, finance and deliver projects that lower emissions and improve the quality of life.
Strengthening skills for sustainable buildings
Opening the workshop, Sabine Gerling, a senior expert at the German Energy Agency (dena), outlined the core principles of the energy balance method, which evaluates all energy flows in a building over the course of a year. Participants examined how design and construction factors, such as the building’s shape, insulation quality, airtightness, and the performance of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems, influence overall energy efficiency.
“Energy efficiency must evolve with technology and user needs, creating a continuous cycle of improvement that benefits both the economy and the environment,” said Gerling.
The session, jointly led by Gerling and Thilo Cunz, the director of dena’s International Building and Construction Department, marked a significant step toward scaling up energy consultant training nationwide.
Understanding real vs. calculated energy use
Discussions highlighted that non-technical factors, including user behavior, weather patterns and maintenance quality, can create a gap between calculated energy demand and actual consumption. Bridging this gap is essential to improving both energy performance and living comfort.
A major component of the training focused on aligning theoretical models with real-world conditions.
Using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), a tool for designing high-efficiency buildings, participants practiced adjusting variables such as indoor temperature, ventilation rates and hot water demand. These adjustments help simulations better reflect daily building operations. Trainers demonstrated why maintaining indoor temperatures above 16 degrees Celsius is essential not only for comfort but also for preventing mold growth and structural damage.
Continuous optimization and modernization tools
The workshop emphasized that improving a building’s performance is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process. Participants worked with a baseline model, which is a simple starting picture of how a building currently uses energy, to identify which upgrades, from improved insulation to renewable energy solutions such as solar panels or heat pumps, would deliver the most significant impact.
Another highlight was the introduction of the Individual Building Renovation Roadmap (iSFP), a practical tool that outlines a step-by-step modernization plan tailored to each building. Participants reviewed renovation scenarios and examined how Passive House standards, including a heating demand below 15 kilowatt-hours per square meter per year and airtightness below 0.6 air changes per hour, can be achieved even in Kazakhstan’s harsh winter climate.
Building national capacity
“The exchange of experience and knowledge provided by dena experts demonstrates the progress we can make when professionals work together with a common vision for energy-efficient buildings”, said Sayazhan Yeralina, an energy expert at FELICITY II.
She noted that applying this knowledge across Kazakhstan will be a key step toward advancing the country’s sustainable construction sector.
Trainers and participants highlighted that the Astana session will serve as a foundation for expanding energy consultant training programs nationwide. This move would help develop a network of qualified specialists capable of applying best international practices to local construction and modernization projects, strengthening Kazakhstan’s capacity for sustainable, energy-efficient and climate-resilient buildings.
