Almaty Conference: Professional Management & Energy-Efficient Modernisation of Multi-Family Houses

On 11 September, the “Housing Relations in Kazakhstan: Legislative Updates, Professional Management and Energy Efficiency in Multi-Family Houses” conference was held in Almaty. 

The conference brought together representatives of government bodies, homeowners’ associations (Kazakh: OSI / KSK), management companies, professional associations, educational institutions and businesses, as well as industry experts.

The main organiser was the Almaty City Association of Apartment Owners’ Cooperatives, a partner of the ENABLE project, implemented with the financial support of the European Union.

Participants discussed key issues in the development of the housing sector: changes to legislation on housing stock management, the quality of building maintenance and technical operation, the digitalisation of housing and utility services, heat supply, professional training for building managers, and mechanisms for the recognition of qualifications.

Focus on energy-efficient modernisation: particular attention was paid to the energy-efficient modernisation of multi-family houses (MFH). Participants examined the experience of Lithuania, Belarus and Uzbekistan (summaries (en) linked here:  LT, BY, UZ  and presentations (ru) linked here:  LT, BY, UZ) presented at the conference and discussed its possible application in Kazakhstan. The discussion showed that modernisation must go beyond individual repair works and include comprehensive technical and energy-efficiency solutions aimed at reducing energy consumption and improving the quality of the housing stock.

As one of the key outcomes of the conference, participants highlighted the need to improve the mechanisms of state support for the modernisation of MFH. In particular, it is proposed to combine financial support with minimum technical and energy-efficiency requirements, quality control of construction works and an assessment of the reductions achieved in energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Additional social support measures for low-income households were also discussed, with a view to ensuring broader access to modernisation programmes.