Parliament voted today, in the first reading, on the draft law for amending Law No. 139/2018 on energy efficiency. The main goal of the proposed amendments is to facilitate the implementation of energy efficiency projects and to strengthen the regulatory framework necessary for Moldova’s energy transition.

The key provisions of the draft law aim to adjust the legal framework to stimulate investments in energy efficiency and to provide direct benefits to citizens. Among the most significant changes is the removal of thermal energy suppliers from the list of obligated parties, a measure that could help maintain affordable tariffs for consumers connected to centralized heating systems.

Additionally, the method for determining the list of obligated parties under the national energy efficiency scheme is being revised. This list will no longer be approved by the Government but will instead be developed and updated by the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), which will publish it on its official website.

Regarding the financial contributions of petroleum product importers, the draft law proposes that these be calculated based on the actual volumes imported, rather than on the quantities sold, as is currently the case.

Another key element is the formal establishment of the Energy Efficiency Fund, which will finance energy efficiency and renewable energy measures through programs managed by the National Center for Sustainable Energy (CNED). The Center will also have expanded responsibilities, such as providing financial guarantees and interest subsidies for loans contracted by homeowners' associations for building energy renovations.

The draft also proposes that end beneficiaries—including individual homeowners—be free to choose the economic operator to carry out the work, provided the requirements of the “Green Home” program are respected, under which partial subsidies from public funds will be provided.

With regard to local energy planning, only local public authorities with the status of municipality will be required to develop integrated energy and climate plans. Other local authorities may do so on a voluntary basis.

The draft law also proposes expanding the eligibility to perform energy audits to all legal entities, including non-profit organizations, removing the current restriction that limits this activity to commercial companies only.

Furthermore, the draft includes an important simplification: for energy efficiency projects involving buildings with a total area of less than 250 m², conducting an energy audit will not be mandatory.

For energy efficiency projects in residential blocks and individual houses with a total usable area greater than 250 m², the energy audit may be replaced—if available—by an energy performance certificate, prepared in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 282/2023 on the energy performance of buildings.

The draft law will be further examined in the second reading.