Sumy Oblast is among the most affected by the war. It was one of the first to meet the russian offensive. From February 24, 2022, to March 24, 2023, at least 1,846 civil infrastructure objects were destroyed and damaged on the territory of Sumy Oblast, in particular, 1,045 residential buildings. Therefore, thousands of residents of the region cannot return to their homes. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union in Sumy collected such information.

The “VidnovyDIM” Program, which the Energy Efficiency Fund has been implementing since November 2022, helps carry out repair work in war-damaged buildings. It compensates 100% of the cost of work and materials necessary to restore high-rise buildings. Already 11 HOAs of the Sumy Oblast, particularly 8 HOAs from Okhtyrka, have applied for participation in this Program. 7 HOAs have been partially or fully completed work. The total amount of grants for all projects of the Sumy Oblast is 13.2 million hryvnias. With the funds received from the Fund, HOAs can replace or repair window and balcony blocks, external and internal vestibule doors, repair the facade and covering of the building, equipment of roof boiler rooms and engineering networks (heating, water supply, sewage, gas supply, and electricity).

“The ‘VidnovyDIM’ Program has become an effective mechanism that helps thousands of Ukrainians return home,” comments Yehor Fareniuk, a director of the Energy Efficiency Fund. “In Sumy Oblast alone, 855 households are currently participating in it. We are grateful to the European Union, which allocated 25 million euros to the Program, including 5 million euros for the pilot phase we are implementing now. In tough conditions, during a full-scale war, such support is extremely important. We are also grateful to Ukrainian HOAs. Successful reconstruction would not have been possible without their proactive stance — we admire your perseverance. Today, we continue to change the Program, responding to the challenges of the times. We have already expanded its geography and increased the maximum amount of the grant to 7.2 million hryvnias. We plan to add new oblasts to the ‘VidnovyDIM’ Program so that as many HOAs as possible can restore their houses”.

The mechanism of the Program is simple and comfortable. HOA should order a technical survey report, make a decision on participation at a general meeting, develop a defect report, project solutions, and estimates (if necessary), pass a state examination (if the project cost is over 1 million hryvnias), select contractors, open an account at a partner bank, and submit an application to the Energy Efficiency Fund. After that, the HOA receives 70% of the grant in advance, which allows it to purchase materials and start restoration work as soon as possible. The remaining 30% of the grant will be refinanced after completing the works.

“Doing better than it was” is the Fund’s principle within the Program. Therefore, it pays special attention to thermal modernization while implementing restoration measures. “According to the requirements of the ‘VidnovyDIM’ Program, all windows and balcony frames must be energy efficient — this way, the house consumes less heat,” says Andrii Borovyi, a regional advisor of the IFC Energy Efficiency Fund Support Program. “With the help of such windows, the temperature in the apartment rises by 3–4 degrees; thanks to that, gas consumption for heating reduces by 15–20%. As a result, there are both cost savings and reducing the negative impact on the environment by reducing CO2 emissions”.

The Energy Efficiency Fund has already received 119 applications for participation in the “VidnovyDIM” Program for a total amount of 261.5 million hryvnias. Specialists invite HOAs whose houses have been damaged due to the fighting and are located on the territory of Sumy, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv oblasts, as well as the city of Kyiv to join the Program.