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The energy crisis: public building efficiency is no longer optional
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With recurring hydrocarbon crises, energy price volatility, supply tensions and pressure on public finances are worsening. In many countries, the energy crisis is no longer a distant prospect, but a daily reality for decision-makers. In this context, one reflex is essential: beyond diversifying energy sources, we must reduce the energy we consume.
Energy efficiency is a strategic bet: public buildings – hospitals, schools, and administrative facilities – are powerful levers to achieve it.
They account for a significant share of government energy consumption, place a heavy burden on public budgets, and are often among the most outdated.
Renovating public buildings therefore serves multiple goals: strengthening energy security, reducing costs, improving access to public services for populations, and sending a strong signal about what modern public infrastructure can be.
Argentina as a real-world testing ground
Recent policy shifts have led to higher energy bills following cuts to electricity subsidies, against a backdrop of rising global temperatures.
In this context, the Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Córdoba each signed financing agreements with AFD (within the space of five weeks) to renovate public buildings – hospitals, schools, and airports – with a clear objective: to significantly reduce energy consumption and improve conditions for both users and staff.
In Santa Fe, the project aims to reduce energy consumption by 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in the renovated buildings. In Córdoba, four high-complexity public hospitals will be modernized in this way. In both cases, the work will deliver tangible improvements in thermal comfort for patients, students, and staff, while strengthening the resilience of services to extreme climate events.
These projects are notably financed through the PEEB Cool program, jointly implemented by AFD and GIZ (the German Agency for International Cooperation), with support from the Green Climate Fund. AFD focuses on the investment component – providing financing and technical assistance to projects – while GIZ supports authorities in strengthening regulatory frameworks and public policies. The two approaches are mutually reinforcing: policy creates the conditions for investment, and investment demonstrates what policy can deliver.
A reflex that extends beyond borders
Argentina is not an isolated case. As energy security becomes a priority in many countries, improving energy efficiency is emerging as a major lever, with PEEB serving as a flagship program for Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
In the Palestinian territories, Saint Joseph Hospital in East Jerusalem is taking a similar approach, in a far more challenging context. Supported by AFD and the European Union through the PEEB Med program, the hospital’s renovation and expansion project includes ambitious energy efficiency measures: enhanced thermal insulation, optimization of heating, cooling, and lighting systems, and the development of renewable energy sources. A reduction of nearly 60% in the facility’s energy consumption is expected. In a territory where continuity of care is a critical issue, reducing a hospital’s energy dependence also strengthens its operational resilience.
What connects these examples is a simple conviction: energy efficiency is not a luxury reserved for stable times. It is precisely in times of crisis – economic, climate-related, or geopolitical – that it becomes strategic. Investing now in high-performance public buildings means making informed trade-offs between immediate costs and long-term savings, and between imposed dependence and chosen autonomy.
