A new project to overhaul a district heating system in the Bosnian city of Banja Luka is expected to help reap major carbon and financial savings as well as combat air pollution.

The city’s heating network - the second-largest in Bosnia and Herzegovina - experiences significant losses during energy transport and end-use. Boilers used in the heating system currently have an average age of 35 years and lose up to 60% of generated heat, while poor insulation means that up to 40% of heat supplied is then lost in the district’s buildings.

To tackle the problem, the city requested help from the Climate Technology Centre and Network with UNEP’s support.

The heating system is now being mapped using an unmanned aerial drone equipped with a thermal camera to identify leaks.

An action plan will then be drawn up for modernising the system, to cover possible investments as well as social and regulatory improvements. Initial estimates point to potential subsequent savings of up to 20,000 tons of CO₂ each year and €4.5 million in heating costs.

Were the city to go beyond modernisation and use an entirely renewables-based system, the city could avoid emitting 80,000 tons of CO₂ and contribute to cleaning the atmosphere. Air pollution is estimated to have caused over 3500 premature deaths in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014.

The working meeting launching the project was held on 21 January and was organised by the City of Banja Luka with the support of UNEP and under the auspices of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology of Republika Srpska.

For more details please click here or write an email to amina.omicevic@unep.org