Why Old Buildings Need an Energy Audit — and How It Saves Money

23,500 buildings that need renovation

According to the Latvian Ministry of Economics, there are 23,500 multi-apartment residential buildings in Latvia that need energy efficiency renovation. The estimated total cost exceeds €5.4 billion.

Most of these buildings were constructed during the Soviet era (1960s–1990s) with thermal performance far below today's LBN 002-19 standard. A typical panel building from this period consumes 150–200 kWh/m² per yearfor heating, while a renovated building can achieve 40–60 kWh/m².

Source: Ministry of Economics — €173 Million for Multi-Apartment Building Renovation

Real renovation results: 71–83% energy savings

These are not theoretical numbers. The Latvian government publishes data from completed renovations funded through EU structural funds and ALTUM support:

Source: Ministry of Economics — TOP 10 Most Energy-Efficient Buildings in Latvia

The shared metering problem: you pay for your neighbor's cold apartment

In most Latvian multi-apartment buildings, heating is billed based on a shared building-level heat meter. The total cost is then divided among apartments, typically by area.

This creates a fundamental problem: even if you insulate your apartment perfectly, you still pay for the building's total heat consumption.

If your neighbor has old single-pane windows, cracks in the walls, or keeps windows open in winter — their heat loss increases the building's total bill, and you pay a share of it.

This is why individual apartment improvements alone are not enough:

The most effective solution is building-wide renovation combined with individual metering. But the first step is understanding where the building loses heat and how much. That's what an energy audit does.

What an energy audit reveals

An energy audit (or thermal assessment) answers three questions:

1. Where does the building lose heat?— walls, roof, floor, windows, ventilation
2. Does it meet the standard?— comparison with LBN 002-19 requirements
3. What should be improved first?— prioritized recommendations with estimated cost savings

A traditional on-site energy audit costs €500–2,000and requires a certified specialist visit. An online estimation tool can give you a preliminary assessment in minutes — enough to understand the scale of the problem and start a conversation with your building management company.

EU funding available: up to 50% of renovation costs

Through ALTUM's Energy Efficiency Programme for Multi-apartment Buildings (2022–2026), building owners can receive:

• Loans with ALTUM guarantees— up to 80% of eligible costs
• Capital rebates of 40–50% of eligible costs after project completion and energy saving targets are achieved
• Total programme funding: €173 million, with plans to renovate 400+ buildings by 2029

Since 2016, the previous programme (ERDF 2014–2020) already supported 624 building renovations covering approximately 22,000 apartments.

Sources: ALTUM — Energy Efficiency Programme, fi-compass.eu — Energy efficiency programmes in Latvia

What you can do now

1. Estimate your building's heat loss— use our free calculator to understand the scale of the problem
2. Share results with your building management— bring data to the next residents' meeting
3. Explore ALTUM funding— check if your building qualifies for the renovation programme
4. Push for individual metering— so each apartment pays for its own consumption

Data in this article is from the Latvian Ministry of Economics (em.gov.lv), ALTUM, and fi-compass.eu. Energy saving percentages are from officially reported renovation results. The shared metering situation described applies to buildings with building-level heat meters without individual apartment metering. This article is for informational purposes only.