The Stavovské theater will start saving energy similarly to the National Theater

Prague - The Estates Theatre will join the historic building of the National Theatre from the New Year in terms of economical energy management. According to the director of the first Czech stage, Ondřej Černý, modifications in the building of the Estates Theatre should be completed by the end of the year. Next year, the theatre plans to expand the savings project to its buildings on Anenské náměstí. The National Theatre’s effort for more economical operations has led this organization to join the Czech Council for Sustainable Buildings, becoming a strategic partner of the companies associated in the council.
Two years ago, the National Theatre invested 31.3 million crowns in the renovation of the energy systems of the historic building, the New Stage, the operational building, and the restaurant building. In the first year of the energy savings program last year, over six million crowns were saved, which corresponds to one-third of the original annual costs. This year's savings are expected to be comparable. The costs for economic and ecological measures will be repaid by the National Theatre until 2017.
The new energy system, for example, includes more economical processing of waste energy, the use of waste heat from the oil hydraulics of stage technology, or the recovery of heat from the ventilation system, which will save 60,000 cubic meters of natural gas annually.
The first stage will invest in savings measures and the use of renewable energy sources through the EPC method, where the supplier guarantees minimum savings. They will then pay the difference between actual and guaranteed savings if necessary. The EPC project is further developing, and during the validity of the contract, additional measures will be implemented, such as the installation of photovoltaic cells on the roof of the National Theatre's operational building or energy-saving lighting.
The ecological activities of the National Theatre were also recognized by the European Union. Its Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs, presented a plaque from the GreenLight program to representatives of the National Theatre early this year.
The National Theatre plans to share its experiences with implementing energy-saving measures with other theatres, therefore intending to organize a seminar on this topic and publish a brochure.
The National Technical Library has also become a strategic partner of the Czech Council for Sustainable Buildings. In its new building constructed according to sustainable architecture rules, it intends to hold seminars. Next year, the council will also collaborate with the National Museum on the reconstruction of the barracks in Litomyšl, which is to serve as a depot for the Czech Museum of Music in the future.
The council brings together, alongside its strategic partners, 36 construction and contracting companies and architectural studios and began operations in September. The Ministry of the Environment is also focusing on the topic of sustainable buildings. Its new head, Jan Dusík, wants to present to the government a material that will enable the awarding of environmentally friendly public contracts. He will also propose a government regulation to stipulate that new buildings and major renovations of public institutions will only be realized in low-energy standards starting from 2011. A similar requirement will be introduced by EU legislation a year later.