Analysis of the renovation process that has been carried out in recent years in Croatia indicates the need to step up and to increase the level of energy renovation of the total building stock, given that in the period from 2014 to 2020 only 0.7 % of the total building stock was renovated on an annual basis.
In Croatia, energy inefficient buildings are responsible for 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO2 emissions, and as much as 30 % of buildings belong to the category of buildings with the worst energy performance. Increased intensity of energy renovation of existing buildings and deployment of new nZEB buildings would greatly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the building sector, thus positively contributing to the energy and climate goals of Croatia and the EU by 2030.
To achieve these ambitious goals, Croatia needs a workforce educated in terms of new technologies, innovative renovation/construction methods, building standards (nZEB), application of new materials in construction, application of digitalization in the construction process and other factors influencing the fulfilment and achievement of the decarbonization goals in the building sector.
Bearing this in mind, the CRO skills RELOAD project intends to re-establish the "National Qualification Platform" and improve the "National Roadmap" in order to achieve national energy and climate goals.
The project will act on all segments of the renovation process ecosystem, from decision makers, end users, manufacturers of materials and equipment, contractors, designers, energy service providers to future nZEB specialists - students, with intention to reach the common goal - adopt nZEB standard and sustainable construction as the key levers for achieving decarbonization goals with a special emphasis on the importance of education and lifelong learning. Project will build on and upscale the results of the previous BuildUP skills initiatives and projects supporting new skills development.